Stockwinners Market Radar for December 03, 2024 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

19:50 EST Aptevo Therapeutics trading halted, news pending

19:50 EST Psychemedics trading halted, news pending

18:24 EST Pure Storage announces collaboration with Kioxia - Pure Storage announced a collaboration with Kioxia a world leader in memory solutions, to develop technology that addresses the growing demand for high-performance, scalable storage infrastructure among today's hyperscale environments. Traditional storage solutions, particularly those relying on hard disk drives, struggle to meet the demands of hyperscale environments due to their limited speed, scalability, reliability, and excessive power consumption. To eliminate these obstacles, the collaboration will deliver a data storage platform engineered from the ground up to tackle the needs of hyperscale environments, allowing for rapid scale while lowering power consumption and reducing the overall physical footprint of hyperscale data centers.

18:13 EST CN Energy receives Nasdaq minimum bid price requirement extension - CN Energy Group announced that on November 26, 2024, the company received a written notice from the Listing Qualifications Staff of The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC notifying the company that, while the company has not regained compliance with the minimum $1.00 bid price per share requirement, Nasdaq has determined that the company is eligible for an additional 180 calendar day period, or until May 27, 2025, to regain compliance. Nasdaq's determination was based on (i) the company meeting the continued listing requirement for market value of publicly held shares and all other applicable requirements for initial listing on The Nasdaq Capital Market, with the exception of the Minimum Bid Price Requirement, and (ii) the company's written notice to Nasdaq of its intention to cure the deficiency during the Second Compliance Period by effecting a reverse stock split, if necessary. If at any time during the Second Compliance Period, the closing bid price of the company's Class A ordinary shares meets or exceeds $1.00 per share for at least ten consecutive business days, Nasdaq will provide written confirmation of compliance, and this matter will be closed.

17:43 EST Okta sees NRR ticking down 'a little bit' in Q4 - Says license counts and MAUs are being scrutinized, and that NRR is macro-oriented in general. Comments taken from Q3 earnings conference call.

17:26 EST Old Dominion reports November Revenue per day decreased 8.2% vs. last year - Old Dominion Freight Line reported certain less-than-truckload operating metrics for November 2024. Revenue per day decreased 8.2% as compared to November 2023 due to an 8.0% decrease in LTL tons per day and a slight decrease in LTL revenue per hundredweight. The decrease in LTL tons per day was attributable to a 6.8% decrease in LTL shipments per day and a 1.2% decrease in LTL weight per shipment. For the quarter-to-date period, LTL revenue per hundredweight decreased 1.2% as compared to the same period last year and LTL revenue per hundredweight, excluding fuel surcharges, increased 3.7% as compared to the same period last year. Marty Freeman, President and CEO, commented, "Our revenue results for November reflect the continued softness in the domestic economy as well as the impact of lower fuel surcharge revenue on our yields. While our LTL volumes declined on a year-over-year basis in November, the improvement in our revenue per hundredweight, excluding fuel surcharges, demonstrates our continued commitment to yield management. We have achieved consistent, cost-based increases in our yield metrics, excluding fuel surcharges, by remaining committed to providing our customers with superior service at a fair price. As we continue to deliver on these core elements of our long-term strategic plan, we remain confident in our ability to win market share and increase shareholder value over the long term."

17:13 EST Marvell CEO says he is 'all in on Marvell' - Comments come after Bloomberg reported that Intel's (INTC) search for a new CEO will consider Marvell (MRVL) CEO Matt Murphy for the role.

17:06 EST Marvell says guiding for 'significant acceleration' in Q4 revenue growth - Says "well positioned" to deliver strong shareholder returns going forward. Says guiding for "significant acceleration" in Q4 revenue growth. Says still focused on driving strong operating leverage. Comments taken from Q3 earnings conference call.

16:57 EST NYSE to begin proceedings to delist common stock of ATI Physical Therapy - The NYSE announced that the staff of NYSE Regulation has determined to commence proceedings to delist the Class A common stock of ATI Physical Therapy from the NYSE. Trading in the Company's Class A common stock will be suspended immediately. NYSE Regulation reached its decision to delist the Company's Class A common stock pursuant to Section 802.01B of the NYSE's Listed Company Manual because the Company had fallen below the NYSE's continued listing standard requiring listed companies to maintain an average global market capitalization over a consecutive 30 trading day period of at least $15M. The Company has a right to a review of this determination by a Committee of the Board of Directors of the Exchange. The NYSE will apply to the Securities and Exchange Commission to delist the Company's Class A common stock upon completion of all applicable procedures, including any appeal by the Company of the NYSE Regulation staff's decision.

16:51 EST Expedia director sells $1.85M in common stock - In a regulatory filing, Expedia director Dara Khosrowshahi disclosed the sale of 10,000 common shares of the company on December 2nd in a total transaction size of $1.85M.

16:49 EST Rush Enterprises announces $150M stock repurchase program - Rush Enterprises announced that its Board of Directors approved a new stock repurchase program authorizing the company to repurchase, from time to time, up to an aggregate of $150M of its shares of Class A common stock, and/or Class B common stock.

16:46 EST Stewart extends contract with CEO Frederick Eppinger - Stewart Information Services announced its Board of Directors has agreed with Frederick H. Eppinger, CEO, to amend and restate his employment agreement, extending the term for another three years through the end of 2028. Eppinger took over as CEO in September of 2019 after having served as a director of Stewart since 2016. Since assuming the CEO position, Eppinger has led the company through a global pandemic and driven sustained growth and momentum through one of the worst housing markets in history. Even when managing through these difficult macro conditions, he has remained relentless in his pursuit of growth, scale, and pretax margin improvement.

16:46 EST Farmers & Merchants Bancorp CAO Deborah Skinner retires, Troy Harper succeeds - Farmers & Merchants Bancorp announced that Deborah Skinner, executive VP and chief administrative officer, or CAO, will be retiring effective December 31 after 24 years with Farmers & Merchants Bank of Central California. The company previously announced her intention to retire back on September 9. Skinner will remain with the company through year-end to assist with the transition. The company also announced that Troy Harper will join the company as its executive VP and chief administrative officer effective December 9. Harper brings over 30 years of operational expertise in financial services to FMCB, including more than 20 years in commercial and retail banking. Prior to joining FMCB, he was executive VP, chief information and operations officer for HomeStreet Bank, where he led deposit, loan, and treasury management operations, IT, corporate real estate, and security.

16:39 EST Radiant Logistics acquires TCB Transportation - Radiant Logistics announced it has acquired the assets and operations of TCB Transportation Associates, LLC d/b/a TCB Transportation, a St Louis, Missouri-based, privately held intermodal marketing company specializing in the movement of 40 and 53-foot containers across North America. The Company acquired TCB through its wholly-owned subsidiary Radiant Road and Rail, Inc. and structured the transaction similar to its previous transactions, with a portion of the expected purchase price payable in subsequent periods based on the future performance of the acquired operations. Founded in 1999, TCB operates as a "one-stop shop", offering true door-to-door service for its shipper customers by leveraging its relationships with steamship lines, Class I railroads and its extensive drayage network.

16:35 EST Theratechnologies resumes production of Egrifta SV - Theratechnologies announced that the production of Egrifta SV has resumed following a voluntary shutdown of the company's contract manufacturer's facility to address observations from an inspection by the FDA. One newly manufactured batch of Egrifta SV has completed standard quality control and will be available for release to the market upon approval from the FDA of a prior approval supplement, which the company is expected to file around mid-December 2024. The manufacturing of two additional batches of Egrifta SV is currently underway. The company implemented measures to carefully manage existing inventory levels of Egrifta SV to meet patient demand until mid-January 2025. Theratechnologies continues to collaborate closely with the relevant divisions of the FDA and other key stakeholders to avoid a shortage at the patient level in 2025. The company will update the market on any further material developments.

16:32 EST Genpact announces agreement with Amazon Web Services - Genpact (G) announced a multi-year Strategic Collaboration Agreement, or SCA, with Amazon (AMZN) Web Services, or AWS, with plans to accelerate the adoption of AI and empower business leaders across functions to harness its transformative potential.This expanded collaboration ensures that advanced technologies can now be integrated into all business lines. Genpact's collaboration with AWS democratizes AI capabilities, offering solutions that meet the needs of multiple business areas, empowering them to solve complex challenges with agility and efficiency. With nearly 1,000 certified AWS professionals, Genpact helps clients unlock the potential of AWS services, including Amazon Connect and Amazon OpenSearch, to modernize operations and scale AI solutions.

16:32 EST Palo Alto Networks CFO Golechha sells 2,500 common shares - In a regulatory filing, Palo Alto Networks CFO Dipak Golechha disclosed the sale of 2,500 common shares of the company on December 2 at a price of $390.24 per share.

16:30 EST Prudential names Andrew Sullivan CEO - Prudential Financial announced that the Board of Directors has appointed Andrew Sullivan as its next CEO, effective March 31, 2025. Sullivan, who currently serves as executive vice president and head of International Businesses and Global Investment Management, will succeed Charles F. Lowrey. Lowrey will remain as Executive Chairman of the Board for 18 months, working with the Board and supporting and advising Sullivan. As part of Prudential's executive leadership team, Sullivan has played an important role in driving the company's strategy. He currently oversees both the company's International Insurance segment and PGIM, the firm's $1.4T global investment management business. Since joining the company in 2011, he has held successive leadership positions, including heading all of the firm's U.S.-based businesses. "Andy is an exceptional leader who brings a deep understanding of our businesses, our strategy, our people, and our customers to this role, and I have every confidence that he is the right leader to take Prudential into the future," said Lowrey. "As we approach the 150th anniversary of Prudential's founding, now is the right time to elevate the next generation of leadership, and I look forward to continuing to support Andy in my role as Executive Chairman."

16:26 EST Rio Tinto, Sumitomo Metal Mining to partner on Winu copper-gold project - Rio Tinto (RIO) and Sumitomo Metal Mining (SMMYY) have signed a Term Sheet for a Joint Venture to deliver the Winu copper-gold project, located in the Great Sandy Desert region of Western Australia. Under the Term Sheet, which includes exclusivity obligations to work towards a binding Definitive Agreement, Rio Tinto will continue to develop and operate Winu as managing partner and SMM will pay Rio Tinto $399 million for a 30% equity share of the project. This includes $195 million upfront and $204 million in deferred considerations contingent on milestones and adjustments to be agreed. The parties have also entered into a letter of intent to develop a broader strategic partnership to work together to explore opportunities for commercial, technical and strategic collaboration across copper, other base metals and lithium. The Winu project is an attractive low-risk, long-life copper-gold deposit discovered by Rio Tinto in 2017, that is highly prospective for expansion beyond the initial development. It is located in proximity to Rio Tinto's Pilbara iron ore assets. Rio Tinto and SMM will now work to finalise definitive agreements for the Winu project joint venture in the first half of 2025, along with formalising the broader strategic partnership. Rio Tinto will also continue to focus on its partnership with the Nyangumarta Traditional Owners, including progressing Project Agreement negotiations. A pre-feasibility study for the Winu project with an initial development of processing capacity of up to 10 mtpa is expected to be completed in 2025, along with the submission of an Environmental Review Document under the EPA Environmental Impact Assessment process.

16:18 EST Enact Holdings enters two quota share reinsurance agreements - Enact Holdings announced that its flagship legal entity, Enact Mortgage Insurance Corporation, has entered into two quota share reinsurance agreements with a broad panel of highly-rated reinsurers. Under the agreements, and subject to certain conditions, Enact will cede approximately 27% of a portion of expected new insurance written for the period from January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025 and will cede approximately 27% of a portion of expected new insurance written for the period from January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026.

16:16 EST TXNM Energy increases dividend 5.2% to $1.63 - The Board of Directors of TXNM Energy voted to increase the company's annual dividend payment by 8c, a 5.2% increase, to an indicated annual rate of $1.63 per share of common stock. The board has declared the resulting quarterly stock dividend of 40.75c per share, payable February 14, 2025, to shareholders of record at the close of business January 31, 2025. Also today, the Board of Directors of Public Service Company of New Mexico, wholly owned subsidiary of TXNM Energy, declared the regular quarterly dividend of $1.145 per share on the 4.58 percent series of cumulative preferred stock. The preferred stock dividend is payable January 15, 2025, to shareholders of record at the close of business December 31.

16:15 EST Salesforce gains 3% to $343.02 after Q3 results and updated FY25 guidance

16:14 EST Couchbase reports total ARR as of October 31 was $220.3M, up 17% y/y - Or up 16% on a constant currency basis.

16:13 EST Salesforce affirms FY25 Subscription & Support revenue growth view of 10% in CC - Raises FY25 non-GAAP Operating Margin guidance to 32.9% from 32.8% and FY25 Operating Cash Flow growth guidance to 24%-26% from 23%-25%

16:13 EST Crescent Energy announces accretive Central Eagle Ford bolt-on acquisition - The company states: "Crescent Energy announced the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire Eagle Ford assets from Ridgemar Energy for upfront consideration of $905 million plus future oil price contingent consideration, subject to customary purchase price adjustments. The acquisition is directly offset Crescent's core Central Eagle Ford position and builds upon its significant acquisition activity in the Eagle Ford over the past 18 months, totaling more than $4 billion of accretive M&A. The transaction, which has an effective date of October 1, is expected to close in the first quarter of 2025, subject to customary closing conditions. The base upfront consideration of $905 million consists of up to $100 million of equity issued to the seller and the remainder in cash. The future oil price contingent consideration of up to $170 million consists of payments by Crescent to seller of (i) $15 million per quarter in 2026 and $12.5 million per quarter in 2027 for which the average quarterly WTI price is greater than or equal to $70 per bbl; and (ii) an additional $15 million per quarter in 2026 for which the average quarterly WTI price is greater than or equal to $75 per bbl."

16:11 EST Parsons, Globalstar announce exclusive partnership - Parsons (PSN) and Globalstar (GSAT) announced their exclusive partnership to support the public, government, and defense sectors. The partnership also includes the successful demonstration of Parsons' software-defined satellite communications solution using Globalstar's Low Earth Orbit satellite constellation. "This successful demonstration is a significant step forward in how we can use satellite infrastructure to support mission-critical needs across various industries," said Mike Kushin, president of Defense and Intelligence for Parsons. "By leveraging Globalstar's advanced satellite technology, we are optimizing the Parsons capability solution to provide communications connectivity, especially in areas where radio frequency congestion poses challenges." As the demand for reliable global communication services continues to grow in complex and congested areas, the collaboration between Parsons and Globalstar provides an innovative solution designed to enhance resilience against disrupted communication pathways. Utilizing Globalstar's LEO satellite constellation, the partnership aims to ensure resilient and diverse communication protocols to support a myriad of communication needs.

16:09 EST ATI Physical Therapy trading halted, news pending

16:07 EST Campbell's says it delivered roughly $30M of savings in Q1 - In the first quarter, Campbell's has delivered approximately $30 million of savings under the new $250 million cost savings program.

16:07 EST Marvell reports Q3 GAAP gross margin 23%; adjusted gross margin 60.5%

16:04 EST Parsons, Globalstar announce exclusive partnership - Parsons (PSN) and Globalstar (GSAT) announce their exclusive partnership to support the public, government, and defense sectors. The partnership also includes the demonstration of Parsons' software-defined satellite communications solution using Globalstar's Low Earth Orbit, or LEO, satellite constellation. As the demand for reliable global communication services continues to grow in complex and congested areas, the collaboration between Parsons and Globalstar provides an innovative solution designed to enhance resilience against disrupted communication pathways. Utilizing Globalstar's LEO satellite constellation, the partnership aims to ensure resilient and diverse communication protocols to support a myriad of communication needs. The Proof of Concept, which commenced earlier this year, is progressing through the necessary steps to enter commercial service. This demonstration of Parsons' software-defined satellite communications solution using Globalstar's LEO satellite constellation marks a milestone as the first of its kind in North America.

16:03 EST Salesforce reports Q3 cRPO $26.4B, up 10% from last year

16:02 EST Sigma Lithium production at full capacity - Sigma Lithium announces that it is in the process of loading 27,500 tonnes of its already produced Quintuple Zero Green Lithium for shipment from the Port of Vitoria to IRH Global Trading LTD in Abu Dhabi, demonstrating its increased operational excellence and its ability to meet both operational and sales targets. The provisional price for this shipment is set at 8.25% of the battery-grade lithium carbonate price quoted on the Guangzhou Futures Exchange as of the shipment date. Sigma Lithium's operational and shipping consistency highlights the company's robust production capabilities following the successful implementation of several efficiency initiatives at the Greentech Industrial Plant during the four-day annual maintenance shutdown in November. During this month we achieved continuous production of over 850 tonnes per day of lithium oxide for several consecutive days, reaching peak days of 900 tonnes per day, demonstrating the enhanced production capabilities of the Greentech Industrial Plant. As a result, the annualized production run rate reached full capacity of 270,000 tonnes and the company expects to maintain this annualized production level going forward.

15:38 EST Alerus Financial CTO Jon Hendry to retire, Karin Taylor to assume COO role - Alerus Financial announced Jon Hendry, executive VP and CTO, will retire at year end. As part of his planned succession, he will transition his responsibilities to Karin Taylor, who will assume the role of executive VP and COO, effective January 1, 2025. In addition, Joe Birkholz has joined the company as chief risk officer. Taylor joined the company as chief risk officer in 2018, bringing approximately 30 years of experience in the financial industry, specializing in risk management. As COO, she will continue to oversee the areas of risk management, regulatory compliance, legal, internal audit, and operations, in addition to assuming oversight of information technology. Birkholz has nearly 20 years of industry experience and has specialized in risk management for a decade. Before joining Alerus in December 2024, he served as chief risk officer at Bridgewater Bank. As chief risk officer, he will work closely with the risk committee to further enhance the company's risk management practices with a focus on continued growth.

15:30 EST Ming Shing Group Holdings Ltd trading resumes

15:27 EST Oriental Rise Holdings Ltd trading halted, volatility trading pause

14:40 EST Kate Rouch joins OpenAI as first Chief Marketing Officer - Microsoft-backed OpenAI said on X that, "It's official: Kate Rouch joins us as our first Chief Marketing Officer. Her experience across consumer and enterprise marketing will shape how we connect people to the transformative power of AI." Reference Link

14:32 EST Deere raises quarterly dividend to $1.62 from $1.47 per share - The Deere & Company board of directors declared a quarterly dividend of $1.62 per share payable February 10, 2025, to stockholders of record on December 31, 2024. The new quarterly rate represents an additional 15c per share over the previous level of $1.47, the company noted.

14:05 EST WSFS names Lynn Hobson chief marketing officer - WSFS Financial Corporation announced that accomplished financial marketing leader Lynn Hobson has joined WSFS as Chief Marketing Officer effective December 2, 2024. WSFS' former Chief Marketing Officer Justin Dunn has assumed the newly created role of Chief Community Impact Officer. These moves ensure WSFS will continue to maximize its impact in the Greater Philadelphia and Delaware region. As Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Hobson will lead WSFS' marketing and communications strategy and execution, including brand awareness, internal and external communications, digital marketing, data analytics, advertising, and customer experience. She will report to Arthur Bacci, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. Hobson joins WSFS after 16 years with BNY's Pershing where she rose to Director and Head of Marketing leading all strategic go-to-market marketing efforts across technology, wealth solutions, and channel and partner marketing for Pershing and Pershing X. As Senior Vice President and Chief Community Impact Officer, Dunn will lead WSFS' Community Strategy and Reinvestment efforts, volunteer initiatives, financial education programming, the WSFS CARES Foundation, and sponsorships and events, reporting to Shari Kruzinski, Executive Vice President and Chief Consumer Banking Officer.

13:49 EST American Honda reports sales up 14.5% to 121,419 units in November - American Honda reports sales totaled 121,419 units in November, up 14.5%, driven by "strong sales of light truck and electrified models for both the Honda and Acura brands." Reference Link

13:37 EST Patriotic Marketplace PSQ Holdings, Inc trading resumes

13:23 EST PSQ Holdings announces Donald Trump Jr., Willie Langston appointed to board - PSQ Holdings, or PublicSquare, announced that Donald Trump Jr. and Willie Langston have been appointed to its board of directors effective December 3. Michael Seifert, Chairman and CEO of PublicSquare, commented, "We are pleased to have Donald Trump Jr. and Willie Langston join the PublicSquare Board as we gain momentum and scale in the fintech space. As shareholders and accomplished business leaders, both are committed to building shareholder value by delivering on the promise of our unique platform. Don has been an investor in PublicSquare since before our IPO, and Willie invested in our most recent PIPE offering in October 2024. Don's passion for creating a "cancel-proof" economy, his years of strategic business experience, and his leadership within the shooting sports industry offer important expertise at the board level. Willie's financial acumen and capital markets expertise will assist PublicSquare as we scale our solutions while managing rapid growth as one of the most important new marketplaces for American consumers."

13:11 EST Patriotic Marketplace PSQ Holdings, Inc trading halted, news pending

13:01 EST KLA Corp. says 'still comfortable' with guidance - At the Wells Fargo TMT Summit, KLA Corp. said that with all of the moving parts in the December quarter, the company is "still comfortable" with the guidance it previously provided. As it relates to China, the new export controls creates noise in the market, and will probably have an incremental impact of "somewhere in the neighborhood of about $500M plus or minus $100M," the company said. KLA said that would imply its overall China business is down "somewhere in the low 20 percentile or so."

12:27 EST AWS announces new database capabilities including Amazon Aurora DSQL - At AWS re:Invent, Amazon Web Services announced new capabilities for Amazon Aurora and Amazon DynamoDB to support customers' workloads that need to operate across multiple Regions with strong consistency, low latency, and availability whether they want SQL or NoSQL. "Amazon Aurora DSQL is a new serverless, distributed SQL database that enables customers to build applications with the highest availability, strong consistency, PostgreSQL compatibility, and 4x faster reads and writes compared to other popular distributed SQL databases. Amazon DynamoDB global tables now supports multi-Region strong consistency, ensuring customers' multi-Region applications are always reading the latest data without having to change any application code. AWS customers, including Autodesk, Electronic Arts, Klarna, QRT, and Razorpay, are exploring Aurora DSQL to support their rapidly growing businesses."

12:00 EST MP Materials rises 12.3% - MP Materials is up 12.3%, or $2.55 to $23.36.

12:00 EST PSQ Holdings rises 76.2% - PSQ Holdings is up 76.2%, or $1.57 to $3.63.

12:00 EST ADA advises doctors, patients not to use compounded GLP-1s - The American Diabetes Association is advising doctors and patients not to use compounded GLP-1s due to uncertainty about their content, safety, quality, and effectiveness. The ADA's statement seeks to provide guidance for health care professionals and people with diabetes and/or obesity. "These medications are critical not just for diabetes and weight management, but also for mitigation of cardiovascular and kidney disease risks in high-risk individuals," said Dr. Joshua J. Neumiller, the ADA's president-elect, health care & education and the statement's lead author. "We urge health care professionals to consider this guidance statement due to concerns around the safety, quality, and effectiveness of compounded versions of these products." "It is important to consider this guidance as use of incretin-based therapies continues to expand. As demand continues to increase, it is possible that intermittent shortages may occur. We encourage health care professionals and people living with diabetes and obesity to consider this guidance in conjunction with clinical judgment and individual preferences when making informed care decisions," said Dr. Nuha ElSayed, the ADA's senior vice president, health care improvement and the manuscript's senior author. The Fly notes that the decision could be negative for Hims & Hers (HIMS) as well as LifeMD (LFMD). Reference Link

12:00 EST Cango falls -13.0% - Cango is down -13.0%, or -61c to $4.09.

11:35 EST ExxonMobil Upstream Company president Liam Mallon to retire - ExxonMobil announced Liam Mallon, president of ExxonMobil Upstream Company and vice president Exxon Mobil Corporation, will retire effective February 1, 2025. The Board of Directors has appointed Dan Ammann president, ExxonMobil Upstream Company. Dan will continue as vice president, Exxon Mobil Corporation to succeed Liam. The Board also has appointed Barry Engle president, Low Carbon Solutions and vice president for Exxon Mobil Corporation effective January 1, 2025. Ammann joined ExxonMobil in 2022 as president, Low Carbon Solutions to grow the company's Low Carbon Solutions business. Engle joined ExxonMobil in September 2024 with three decades of experience in the automotive industry.

11:05 EST SEC charges Kiromic Bio with misleading investors about status of FDA reviews - The SEC announced that it has filed settled charges against Houston-based biotherapeutics company Kiromic BioPharma, Inc., its former CEO, Maurizio Chiriva-Internati, and its former CFO, Tony Tontat, for failing to disclose material information about Kiromic's two cancer fighting drug candidates before, during, and after a July 2021 follow-on public offering that raised $40 million. Kiromic and Tontat have agreed to settle the SEC's charges in separate administrative proceedings and Chiriva has agreed to settle the charges in federal district court. Kiromic was not ordered to pay a civil penalty in light of its self-reporting, cooperation, and remediation, and Chiriva and Tontat agreed to pay civil penalties of $125,000 and $20,000, respectively, to settle the SEC's charges. "These resolutions strike the right balance between holding Kiromic's then-two most senior officers responsible for Kiromic's disclosure failures while also crediting Kiromic for its voluntary self-report, remediation, proactively instituting remedial measures, and providing meaningful cooperation to the staff," said Eric Werner, Director of the SEC's Fort Worth Regional Office. According to the SEC's order against Kiromic, the company raised $40M in a public offering on July 2, 2021, for the purpose of funding the prospective clinical trials for its two cancer fighting drug candidates, the ALEXIS-PRO-1 and the ALEXIS-ISO-1. However, the SEC's order found that two weeks before the public offering, the FDA notified Kiromic that it had placed the drug candidates on clinical hold-an FDA order to delay the proposed clinical investigations. The SEC's order also found that Kiromic did not disclose the FDA clinical holds in its SEC filings, investor roadshow calls, or during due diligence calls leading up to the offering, despite the fact that Kiromic disclosed the hypothetical risk of a clinical hold and the potential negative consequences on Kiromic's business. Without admitting or denying the SEC's findings, Kiromic consented to the SEC's order, which requires Kiromic to cease and desist from committing or causing future violations of the antifraud, reporting, and disclosure controls provisions of the federal securities laws. Reference Link

11:03 EST BGC Group appoints Mike Whitaker as global CIOCiti - BGC Group (BGC) announced Mike Whitaker has joined as Global Chief Information Officer and a member of its Executive Committee. In this newly created role, Mr. Whitaker will be responsible for developing and implementing a cohesive technology strategy across the company, driving innovation and efficiencies to deliver growth. He joins BGC from Citi (C), where he spent 15 years in senior technology management roles and rose to become the firm's Head of Operations & Technology and a member of the Executive Management Team.

10:56 EST Global-e sees 43% year-over-year uplift in Black Friday-Cyber Monday sales - Global-e announced record high sales, over Black Friday-Cyber Monday, or BFCM, weekend, with a 43% increase compared to the previous year. Many markets around the world experienced a year-on-year increase in sales over the 2024 BFCM weekend, including Germany, France, United Kingdom, Canada, United States, United Arab Emirates, Japan, and Australia, reflecting the growing global nature of BFCM. Global e-commerce shopping surged through November, with sales momentum building as early as the second week of the month, mirroring the early uptick in sales observed during the equivalent period last year. Promotions ran throughout the month, culminating in a high volume of transactions over the BFCM weekend. E-commerce sales through the Global-e platforms during the promotional season, starting two weeks prior to and including BFCM weekend, grew by 45% compared to the equivalent period last year. This highlights the growing importance of promotions leading up to BFCM weekend. Black Friday outperformed Cyber Monday as the top sales day for Global-e merchants over the BFCM weekend.

10:35 EST Pactiv Evergreen trading resumes

10:17 EST Smith-Midland Corp receives over $8M in J-J Hooks barrier rental contracts - Smith-Midland has begun renting its J-J Hooks precast concrete barrier to the Virginia Department of Transportation, as part of three separate projects in Virginia. The total value of the projects through its Concrete Safety Systems rental division is over $8 million. CSS will deliver, install, and service J-J Hooks precast concrete freestanding and pinned barriers, and attenuators, ensuring clear direction for motorists and enhanced safety for workers across Fairfax and New Kent Counties, VA.

10:00 EST Universal Technical falls -9.9% - Universal Technical is down -9.9%, or -$2.63 to $23.81.

10:00 EST Cango falls -18.9% - Cango is down -18.9%, or -89c to $3.81.

10:00 EST MP Materials rises 13.1% - MP Materials is up 13.1%, or $2.72 to $23.53.

09:48 EST U.S. Steel falls -8.2% - U.S. Steel is down -8.2%, or -$3.35 to $37.60.

09:48 EST Cango falls -14.3% - Cango is down -14.3%, or -67c to $4.03.

09:47 EST Core & Main rises 12.9% - Core & Main is up 12.9%, or $6.21 to $54.50.

09:44 EST Block consumer transactions totaled 144M for Black Friday, Cyber Monday weekend - Over the Black Friday and Cyber Monday weekend, sellers using Block's ecosystem of commerce tools broke records with 144 million Block consumer transactions globally, a 17% increase from last year, the company said. "With over 1 in 3 shoppers more stressed about holiday shopping this year compared to last, customers all around the world turned out in droves for the mega discounting weekend to save on gifts, shopping both online and in-store and driving increased sales on these channels by 21% and 17%, respectively." Square, Afterpay, and Cash App Card analyzed millions of transactions across all seller industries globally in 2024 from November 29, 11:00 UTC to December 2, 23:59 UTC. Block Consumer Spend Transactions is a metric Block's Marketing Team uses to measure consumer spending across different businesses during busy periods such as Black Friday-Cyber Monday.

09:41 EST Porch Group jumps 31% to $4.95 after investor day financial targets - The company said, "With the approval of the Reciprocal and the related structuring of the business to align with what we think is optimal, we are at an inflection point as a company. The Investor Day marks a milestone for Porch as we share our roadmap we believe will lead to sustained growth, increased profits, and value creation for our shareholders. We are excited to showcase why we believe the launch of the Porch Insurance will be transformational and highlight the many opportunities across our business units." The company sees adjusted EBITDA of $50M in 2025 and $100M in 2026.

09:40 EST ZenaTech Inc trading resumes

09:38 EST AgEagle Aerial Systems trading resumes

09:35 EST ZenaTech Inc trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:33 EST Senti Biosciences Inc trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:31 EST Huron acquires AXIA Consulting, terms undisclosed - Huron announced it has acquired AXIA Consulting, a provider of supply chain-focused consulting and technology solutions. Together, Huron and AXIA will help clients build agile, responsive, and efficient operations that meet the demands of our connected world. All members of the AXIA team will join Huron, including approximately 130 client-facing employees. Both Huron and AXIA are values-led, people-focused organizations dedicated to delivering client success through deep collaboration and integrity. It is expected that the significant majority of AXIA's revenue will be included in the commercial segment. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Clearsight Advisors served as exclusive financial advisor to AXIA.

09:30 EST ZJK Industrial Co Ltd trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:29 EST Cadence Design, AST SpaceMobile announce collaboration - Cadence Design (CDNS) and AST SpaceMobile (ASTS) announced their collaboration to advance AST SpaceMobile's mission to eliminate connectivity gaps and connect people around the world with high-speed, space-based internet access.

09:27 EST General Motors recalling over 132,000 trucks over tailgate unlatching issue - The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that General Motors is recalling about 132,037 trucks due to concerns about tailgates unlatching unexpectedly. The recall affects certain 2024 models of Chevrolet Silverado HD 2500, 3500, and GMC Sierra HD 2500, 3500 vehicles equipped with power-unlatching tailgates. Water intrusion may cause the tailgate's electronic gate-release switch to short circuit, potentially resulting in unintended unlatching while the vehicle is in Park. Reference Link

09:25 EST Mullen Automotive's Bollinger Motors announces follow-on order from TEC - Mullen Automotive's Bollinger Motors has received a follow-on order for seven all-electric 2025 Bollinger B4 trucks from TEC Equipment. Electronic payment has been received on all seven vehicles, and the revenue is being recognized in the current fiscal quarter ending in December 2024. This is TEC's second B4 truck order and follows its initial order from Oct. 30, 2024, of three B4s. TEC's latest order of B4s are being delivered to TEC dealer locations in Fontana, Oakland and San Diego, California, Portland, Oregon, and Des Moines, Washington.

09:23 EST LastPass announces partnership with TD SYNNEX, no terms - LastPass, a leader in password and identity management solutions, today announced a strategic partnership with TD SYNNEX, a leading global distributor and solutions aggregator for the IT ecosystem. This partnership simplifies the purchasing process for IT resellers and managed service providers MSPs in North America by offering streamlined access to LastPass' solutions through TD SYNNEX's trusted distribution network. With growing concerns around cybersecurity and identity protection, the ability to offer trusted, easy-to-implement credential management solutions is a key differentiator. This collaboration offers resellers and MSPs a more streamlined path to delivering secure, reliable password and identity management solutions to their clients. By simplifying and optimizing the purchasing process, resellers and MSPs can more effectively meet the rising demand for a secure, seamless user experience for partners and their user base.

09:22 EST Shift4 Payments teams with Memphis Grizzlies for tickets and food & beverage - The Memphis Grizzlies have announced a multi-year partnership with Shift4, the leader in integrated payments and commerce technology, to power payments for the team as well as other events at FedExForum. "Shift4 delivers quick and seamless transactions throughout FedExForum allowing our fans to spend more time enjoying the action." As the official point-of-sale partner of the Memphis Grizzlies, Shift4 will provide a suite of payment processing solutions to simplify operations and enhance the fan experience at FedExForum. Shift4 will power food and beverage concession sales throughout the arena and will also process payments for ticketing transactions to deliver a seamless ticket-buying experience for fans. "We're excited to partner with the Grizzlies and enhance the commerce experience for their fans. Shift4's payment technology will streamline transactions from the time fans purchase their tickets online to game day when they're buying food and drinks at the concession stands," says Shift4's Head of Sports & Entertainment Dustin Alpert.

09:19 EST Exelon CLO Gayle Littleton to step down, Colette Honorable to succeed - Exelon announced that it is consolidating the executive leadership team, with Gayle Littleton stepping down as executive VP, chief legal officer, or CLO, and corporate secretary, effective January 1, and assuming the role of special advisor to the CEO until March 31. Colette Honorable will assume responsibility for the legal department in an expanded role and will be named chief legal officer and corporate secretary. Honorable, currently executive VP, public policy and chief external affairs officer, will continue leading federal policy, regulatory affairs, and corporate giving for Exelon. Littleton joined Exelon in 2020 and led the transactional work and regulatory approvals required for the 2022 historic separation of Exelon's generation and retail power business from its utility business, and she was responsible for the company's response to ComEd's deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice, successfully resolving related government investigations and significant litigation. She also has led Exelon's litigation at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on the regulatory treatment of data centers that co-locate at generating stations.

09:18 EST ServiceNow & AWS expand strategic collaboration with new capabilities for AI - ServiceNow ( NOW), the AI platform for business transformation, and Amazon Web Services (AWS (AMZN) announced an expanded strategic collaboration with new capabilities to accelerate AI-driven business transformation across every corner of the enterprise. A new connector enables the seamless use of multimodal models developed and trained on Amazon Bedrock for GenAI-powered workflows in the Now Platform. Additional automation solutions and integrations to seamlessly manage security incidents and procurement are now available on the AWS Marketplace. By deepening its collaboration with AWS and expanding geographically to Canada and Europe expected in 2025, the companies are supercharging value to customers across key industries, including telco, technology, financial services, education, and retail. Connecting Amazon Bedrock models to ServiceNow helps enterprises boost the development and deployment of GenAI solutions. The new connector allows customers to connect seamlessly to their choice of third-party models, based on their specific workflow needs, such as summarization, advanced analytics, or code generation. Data remains private and secure through ServiceNow and AWS, and customers can set up the integration quickly and easily.

09:16 EST Nerdy regains compliance with NYSE continued listing standard - Nerdy announced that it has regained compliance with the New York Stock Exchange continued listing criteria for minimum share price under Section 802.01C of the NYSE Listed Company Manual. On December 2 the NYSE provided Nerdy with a notification letter of compliance based on Nerdy's closing share price on November 29, as well as a calculation of Nerdy's average closing share price for the 30 trading days ended November 29, which reflected an average closing share price above the NYSE's $1.00 minimum requirement. Accordingly, the Company has regained compliance with the minimum share price requirement of Section 802.01C. Nerdy's Class A Common Stock will continue to be listed and trade on the NYSE, subject to the Company's compliance with other NYSE continued listing standards.

09:14 EST Sadot completes $3M capital raise - Sadot Group announced the pricing of a strategic $3.0 million capital raise through a convertible 12-month note. The note is convertible into shares of common stock at a fixed purchase price of $4.10 per share, with no warrant coverage. The Company plans to use the proceeds for general business expenses and growth initiatives, including recent expansions into Canada and Brazil, and potential farming operations in Indonesia.

09:12 EST Mondelez names Kuhn as EVP for Europe - Mondelez International announced the appointment of Volker Kuhn as Executive Vice President, EVP, and President, Europe, effective April 1, 2025, reporting directly to Chair and Chief Executive Officer Dirk Van de Put. Kuhn will replace Vinzenz Gruber, who has announced his retirement from the Company, also effective April 1, 2025. Kuhn will join the organization on January 6, 2025, partnering with Gruber to ensure a smooth transition.

09:11 EST Motorsport Games to release next update for 'Le Mans Ultimate' - Motorsport Games is set to release the next update for "Le Mans Ultimate", the official game of the FIA World Endurance Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans on December 10 2024. This latest update increases the content available to players by adding four of the new for 2024 LMGT3 category cars. The McLaren 720S LMGT3 Evo will be available for free to all users in Early Access and the remainder forms Pack 3 of the 2024 Season Pass along with the Interlagos circuit. Significant game updates, expected to increase player experience, also come in this update. The ability for players to host their own game server has been added, unlocking the ability to run races with friends and communities for the first time.

09:10 EST Intapp Collaboration solutions selected by Milsted Langdon - Intapp announced that U.K. accounting firm Milsted Langdon has selected two Intapp Collaboration solutions: Intapp Documents and Intapp Workspaces. These solutions will enable modern work by transforming the firm's Microsoft 365 platform into an engagement-centric collaboration solution. Intapp Collaboration solutions will simplify collaboration, enhance compliance, automate governance, and help Milsted Langdon deliver better client outcomes. The solutions will also streamline integration with the firm's existing practice management system. This integration enables Milsted Langdon to further automate key processes so their professionals can efficiently deliver better service to clients.

09:09 EST Round Table Pizza opens fifth Reno-area location - FAT Brands announces the opening of its fifth Round Table Pizza location in the Reno area. The new restaurant is located at 115 E. Moana Lane, Reno, NV and offers a gold-standard menu, including hand-crafted premium pizza offerings, and Garlic Parmesan Twists rolled fresh daily.

09:08 EST Amazon announces record 12-day holiday period - Amazon announced that its Black Friday Week and Cyber Monday holiday shopping event-from November 21 through December 2-was its biggest ever compared to the same 12-day period ending on Cyber Monday in prior years. The deal event saw record sales and a record number of items sold. Customers bought millions of Echo and Fire TV devices. In the U.S., some of the best-selling product categories included Electronics, Toys, and Beauty, with popular items such as Beats headphones and earbuds, Samsung TVs, Barbie, Play-doh, Shark vacuums and air purifiers, and Medicube beauty devices and skincare topping the charts. This Black Friday Week and Cyber Monday holiday shopping event was also the largest ever for independent sellers in Amazon's store-most of which are small and medium-sized businesses. More than 60% of sales in Amazon's store during the event were from independent sellers-that includes sales on popular items from small businesses.

09:08 EST Taboola, WeatherBug announce new, exclusive multi-year deal - Taboola announced a new three-year deal with WeatherBug, leading weather site and mobile app with over 20 million users and Taboola partner since 2019. Under the renewed deal, WeatherBug will continue to leverage Taboola's suite of products across multiple user touchpoints to grow its audience, optimize user engagement, and drive revenue. Taboola will remain implemented across WeatherBug's digital properties including its app and web interface.

09:06 EST CleanSpark provides November 2024 Bitcoin mining update - CleanSpark released its unaudited bitcoin mining and operations update for November 2024. Bitcoin mined in November were 622. Total bitcoin holdings as of November 30 were 9,2971. Total bitcoin sold in November were 26.11 and month end fleet efficiency and operating hashrate were 19.05 J/Th and 33.7 EH/s, respectively. "Our teams have been relentlessly executing, making progress towards our year-end hashrate goal of 37 EH/s while improving our efficiency," said CEO Zach Bradford. "Two turnkey bitcoin mining sites near Clinton, MS, have been completed and are expected to be fully operational providing an added 1 EH/s by the end of this week. We then expect expansion projects in Tennessee to go live by mid-month, that paired with our ongoing upgrades will bring us over our year-end target of 37 EH/s. We have our eyes on 2025, and our plan is to continue growing beyond 50 EH/s in the coming quarters." Throughout November 2024, average hashrate was 32.32 EH/s and average fleet efficiency was 19.59 J/Th, resulting in an average of 20.72 bitcoin mined daily. The single day high reached 21.65 bitcoin. The company sold 26.11 bitcoin during November 2024 at an average price of approximately $84,356 per bitcoin.

09:05 EST Rapid7 expands MXDR service to include enhanced support for AWS enviroments - Rapid7 announced the expansion of its Managed Extended Detection and Response service to include enhanced support for Amazon Web Services environments. This service enhancement brings customers deeper cloud detection and response capabilities by combining cloud native telemetry, AWS security telemetry, and enhanced detections in the Rapid7 Command Platform. This will drive broader, faster threat detection and remediation, delivered by the Rapid7 security operations center

09:04 EST Array Technologies names Jennings as Chief Financial Officer - ARRAY Technologies (ARRY) has named H. Keith Jennings as its chief financial officer, effective January 6, 2025. Jennings will report directly to ARRAY's Chief Executive Officer, Kevin Hostetler. Jennings also brings valuable governance experience, currently serving as a non-executive director and audit chair for Noble Corporation (NE) since 2023 and 5E Advanced Materials (FEAM) since 2022

09:03 EST Fortinet announces FortiAppSec Cloud platform - Fortinet announced FortiAppSec Cloud, a new cloud-delivered platform that integrates key web application security and performance management tools into a single offering. The platform streamlines web and API security, advanced bot defense, and global server load balancing, among other capabilities, so customers can confidently secure and manage their hybrid and multi-cloud environments.

09:02 EST AgriFORCE Growing Systems acquires Alberta bitcoin mining facility - AgriFORCE Growing Systems announces the completion of its acquisition of a bitcoin mining facility in Sturgeon County, Alberta, Canada. Acquired for $1.5M in cash, this cutting-edge facility represents a cornerstone of AgriFORCE's integrated strategy, blending sustainable energy, advanced data operations, and innovative agricultural solutions. The facility, powered by 1.2 MW of natural gas energy, currently supports over 130 bitcoin mining units and has the scalability to accommodate up to 250 units.

08:59 EST Shopify CEO reports $11.5B of merchant sales GMV over Black Friday-Cyber Monday - In a post to X, Shopify CEO Tobi Lutke announced: "What a remarkable BFCM weekend. The power of entrepreneurship was on full display. Congrats everyone. $11.5B global sales on Shopify, up 24% on last year 76M+ people bought from Shopify-powered brands, up 25% on last year 67,000+ merchants had their highest-selling day ever 16,500+ entrepreneurs made their first sale 57.3 PB of data processed and served from our infrastructure 1.19 trillion total edge requests 10.5 trillion total database queries 1.17 trillion database writes" Reference Link

08:56 EST LPL Financial: Argosy Financial joins broker-dealer, RIA, custodial platforms - LPL Financial announced that financial advisor James Norris of Argosy Financial has joined LPL Financial's broker-dealer, RIA and custodial platforms. He reported serving approximately $250 million in advisory, brokerage and retirement plan assets and joins LPL from Centaurus Financial. Based in Glendale, Ariz., Norris has more than 20 years of experience in financial services, specializing in investment management, client portfolio construction and retirement planning. He prides himself on developing personalized investment strategies for each client's distinct needs, rather than using a templated approach.

08:52 EST Worthington Steel to acquire controlling equity stake in Sitem - Worthington Steel announced that it has reached an agreement to acquire through its subsidiary, Tempel Steel Company, a controlling equity stake in Italy-based Sitem. Sitem Group produces electric motor laminations and accessory products for automotive and industrial applications in Europe. Worthington Steel will acquire, through the acquisition of shares from existing shareholders of Sitem Group, the contribution of Worthington Steel's Nagold, Germany, facility and the subscription of reserved share capital increases, an approximately 52% stake in Sitem Group with the option to increase ownership in the future. The transaction is expected to close in early 2025, subject to the receipt of applicable regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions. Establishing a strong presence in Europe, a key and rapidly growing region for the electric vehicle market, is a vital component of the company's strategy to leverage this emerging global trend. This investment marks another step in Worthington Steel's plan while meeting customer expectations for comprehensive global manufacturing and technical support. Sitem Group operates six facilities in Europe including Italy, Switzerland, Slovakia and France. Sitem's leadership, including chairman Fabrizio Scarca, CEO Marco Bartoloni and chief purchasing officer Gabriella Scarca, will continue to lead the business from the Sitem Group headquarters in Trevi, Italy.

08:50 EST Greenlane signs multi-year distributor agreement with CURB Lifestyle - Greenlane Holdings has signed an exclusive multi-year global distributor agreement with CURB Lifestyle, manufacturer of a patented, non-heating, inhalation device capable of safely delivering a wide range of formulations, including nicotine, cannabinoids, and other wellness compounds. CURB's inhalation device is targeting multi-billion-dollar markets, with the primary verticals encompassing nicotine, cannabis and wellness. Starting in mid-December, CURB products will be available to order via the Company's multiple online retail storefronts, as well as its wholesale portal. Greenlane also plans to make the device available to its dispensary clients for use with cannabis formulations as a healthier option of consumption.

08:47 EST BloomZ enters business partnership with Badge - BloomZ announced a strategic business partnership with Badge. Japan's anime, voice acting, and VTuber industries have seen a surge in demand for engaging and interactive fan experiences. Through this partnership, BloomZ will leverage Badge's fan club management platform, which includes features such as blogs, newsletters, e-commerce, and live streaming capabilities, to establish sustainable fan club services. This initiative enhances fan engagement with the Company's affiliated talent while serving as a key growth strategy to expand the reach of BloomZ's anime productions, voice actors, and VTuber talents to a broader audience.

08:45 EST Applied Energetics, Kord sign MOU to advance directed energy solutions - Applied Energetics announcde the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Kord Technologies. This strategic collaboration aims to further the development and deployment of cutting-edge directed energy and pulsed laser technology for defense and national security applications. The collaboration outlined in the MOU reflects a shared interest between Kord Technologies and Applied Energetics in leveraging their combined expertise and resources to address emerging threats and critical challenges in the contemporary operating environment. With the increasing need for innovative and scalable solutions to counter emerging threats, both companies are well-positioned to deliver next-generation capabilities that enhance the protection and effectiveness of U.S. military forces. The MOU outlines key areas of cooperation, including joint research and development, integration of specified directed energy technologies into Kord's counter UAS system, and the exploration of opportunities to enhance both companies' product portfolios. This mutual endeavor will also focus on expanding both companies' market presence and establishing a framework for potential future collaborations.

08:42 EST Evoke receives notice of allowance for two additional patent applications - Evoke Pharma announced that it has received notices of allowance for two U.S. patent applications by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, further expanding the company's robust intellectual property estate for its innovative GIMOTI nasal spray. The two patent applications, U.S. 17/366,839 and U.S. 17/366,818, entitled "Nasal Formulations of Metoclopramide," provide Evoke with additional claims protecting the intranasal administration of metoclopramide for the treatment of gastroparesis. When issued, these patents will bolster the Company's position as the provider of the only FDA-approved, non-oral, patient administered therapy for acute and recurrent diabetic gastroparesis in the US. The two patents are expected to be Orange Book listable and expire at the end of 2029.

08:41 EST Uxin partners with CATL subsidiary for used car battery swapping - Uxin announced a strategic partnership with Times Electric Service, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Contemporary Amperex Technology, or CATL. This collaboration aims to promote the adoption and development of battery swapping models in the used car market, providing consumers with transaction services for pre-owned new energy vehicles. By joining forces with Times Electric Service's capabilities in standardized battery swapping technology and industrial chain development, the two companies will jointly establish a used car trading system based on the "vehicle-battery separation" model. Key initiatives of the partnership include developing an online used car trading platform and battery marketplace tailored for the "vehicle-battery separation" model, as well as providing inspection, certification, and rating services for battery swapping used cars.

08:40 EST Simpple announces distribution partnership with Elite VDP - SIMPPLE announced that its Singapore subsidiary had signed a partnership agreement with Vietnam-based Elite VDP Co., Ltd. to distribute SIMPPLE Ecosystem across Vietnam. As part of this initial agreement, the partnership is expected to generate at least $100,000 in sales revenue. Vietnam is a new market SIMPPLE is expanding into, and the Company believes this emerging market presents an immense growth potential over the next few years.

08:39 EST SeaStar Medical announces activation of Sentara Norfolk General as active site - SeaStar Medical announces the activation of Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in Norfolk, Virginia as its thirteenth active site in its NEUTRALIZE-AKI pivotal trial. The Company also reports the enrollment of nine critically ill adult acute kidney injury, AKI, patients in the trial during November, bringing total trial enrollment to 65 subjects. The NEUTRALIZE-AKI trial is evaluating the safety and efficacy of the Company's proprietary therapeutic Selective Cytopheretic Device, SCD, in 200 adult patients with AKI in the intensive care unit, ICU, receiving continuous renal replacement therapy, CRRT.

08:38 EST YY Group launches YY Smart Tech to drive innovation, efficiency - YY Group announces the establishment of YY Smart Tech Pte, a new technology arm dedicated to consolidating and enhancing IT services across the board. This strategic initiative aims to strengthen YY Group's technological capabilities while delivering advanced IT solutions to external customers. YY Smart Tech represents a significant milestone in YY Group's journey towards digital transformation. By centralizing IT operations and resources, YY Smart Tech will streamline processes, foster innovation, and improve overall efficiency within the Company's ecosystem. Headquartered in Singapore, a leading technological hub in Asia, YY Smart Tech is positioned to become a key player in the regional tech landscape.

08:37 EST Lisata Therapeutics, Kuva Labs enter license agreement - Lisata Therapeutics and Kuva Labs are pleased to announce a global collaboration and license agreement. Under the terms of this agreement Kuva gains access to Lisata's iRGD cyclic peptide product candidate, certepetide, as a targeting and enhanced delivery agent to be used with Kuva's NanoMark platform technology. This combination creates a new class of advanced magnetic resonance imaging agents that enable the safe, non-invasive and unambiguous detection of solid tumor cancers. Under the agreement, Kuva will assume full responsibility for all research, development, and commercialization costs for NanoMark, while Lisata will be responsible for supplying certepetide. The agreement provides significant value creation for both parties and includes an upfront license fee as well as potential substantial milestone payments and royalties on future product sales to Lisata.

08:36 EST Achieve Life Sciences announces outcome of End-of-Phase 2 meeting with FDA - Achieve Life Sciences announced the outcome of its End-of-Phase 2 meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This meeting represents a key milestone in advancing cytisinicline's development as a potential first-in-class treatment for nicotine e-cigarette or vaping cessation. Achieve obtained FDA agreement on the proposed single Phase 3 study design for cytisinicline treatment in vaping cessation and on the additional requirements for submitting a supplemental new drug application to expand cytisinicline for the treatment for vaping cessation. The End-of-Phase 2 meeting resulted in alignment with the FDA on the proposed Phase 3 study design, including the inclusion/exclusion criteria, primary and secondary efficacy objectives, definition of vaping abstinence with biochemical verification, and other overall study assessments. The FDA agreed that one well-controlled Phase 3 trial in addition to Achieve's completed Phase 2 ORCA-V1 trial, would be acceptable for a vaping cessation indication as an sNDA. Additionally, the FDA agreed that the company's safety exposure data from the ongoing ORCA-OL study would be adequate for the vaping cessation label expansion. The Phase 3 ORCA-V2 trial will assess the efficacy and safety of cytisinicline for nicotine e-cigarette cessation, building on the previous Phase 2 vaping cessation trial as well as the Phase 3 smoking cessation clinical trials with cytisinicline. The trial population and design are similarly aligned with Achieve's successful Phase 2 ORCA-V1 trial. Achieve is currently targeting ORCA-V2 to initiate in the third quarter of 2025. Key study design highlights include: Study Population: Adults 18 years of age or older who are dependent on nicotine e-cigarettes and who have failed at least one previous attempt to stop vaping nicotine. Study Design: ORCA-V2 will evaluate the efficacy and safety of 3 mg cytisinicline dosed three times daily for 12 weeks compared to placebo in approximately 800 adults who use e-cigarettes or nicotine vapes and do not currently smoke cigarettes. All participants will receive behavioral support for nicotine cessation and will be assessed throughout the 24-week trial duration. Study Objectives: The primary objective for ORCA-V2 mirrors the Phase 2 ORCA-V1 trial objective and will be weekly vaping abstinence with biochemical confirmation, measured during the last four weeks of treatment, weeks 9 to 12. The secondary objective will evaluate continuous vaping cessation from weeks 9 to 24. Safety, adherence to study treatment, and other patient-reported outcomes on vaping urges and craving symptoms will also be collected.

08:35 EST SurgePays expands merchant capabilities with LANDI Global partnership - SurgePays announced an integration with LANDI Global, including the LANDI M20 handheld devices. This collaboration between SurgePays and LANDI Global aims to integrate advanced technology into SurgePays' enhanced portal leveraging the ClearLine Application. Through this partnership, SurgePays merchants can now expand the power of LANDI Global's devices to manage solutions such as top-ups, bill payments and more.

08:34 EST Adial granted U.S. patent for treatment of alcohol, drug dependence - Adial Pharmaceuticals announced patent number 12150931 was issued on November 26, 2024 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, expanding the Company's intellectual property coverage. The patent covers a broader range of genotype combinations identified by the Company's proprietary genetic diagnostic for targeted treatment of alcohol use disorder with AD04, the Company's lead investigational new drug product. These genotype combinations include the HTR3A, HTR3B, and SLC6A4 receptor sites which are expected to play an important role in the Company's precision medicine approach to treating addiction and may support the expansion of its pipeline.

08:33 EST MSG Entertainment repurchases $25M of MSGE Class A common stock - Madison Square Garden Entertainment announced that the company repurchased 681,593 shares of MSGE Class A common stock at an average price of $36.68 per share for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $25M from November 20 through December 2. The share repurchases were funded using cash on hand.

08:32 EST PTC partners with Microsoft and Volkswagen to develop generative AI copilot - PTC (PTC) has partnered with Microsoft (MSFT) and Volkswagen Group (VWAGY) to develop a generative artificial intelligence copilot based on the PTC Codebeamer application lifecycle management solution. Codebeamer Copilot will support software development in physical products by enabling software engineers to create and manage product requirements more efficiently as well as test, validate, and release them. The development of Codebeamer Copilot builds on Volkswagen Group's adoption of Codebeamer to support software development across its brands and vehicle projects. PTC and Volkswagen Group partnered with Microsoft to help amplify the value of Codebeamer by embedding generative AI with Microsoft Azure AI capabilities. Codebeamer Copilot is expected to release as a beta to select PTC customers in early 2025.

08:31 EST Eterna launches research to evaluate ERNA-101 - Eterna Therapeutics announced it will investigate the ability of its lead iMSC-based cell therapy, ERNA-101, to induce and modulate antitumor immunity in ovarian cancer and breast cancer models through a sponsored research agreement with The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. ERNA-101 is Eterna's proprietary allogenic IL-7 and IL-15-secreting induced pluripotent stem cell, iPSC, derived mesenchymal stem cells, iMSC, product candidate. "This research project is pivotal in accelerating ERNA-101's pathway to IND submission," said Sanjeev Luther, CEO and President of Eterna. "Through this agreement, we aim to generate the data needed to demonstrate ERNA-101's therapeutic potential in solid tumors."

08:29 EST ECD Automotive Design enter partnership with One Drivers Club - ECD Automotive Design is set to debut its first retail presence through a strategic relationship with One Drivers Club in West Palm Beach. This strategic collaboration positions ECD as a new, prestigious retailer at One Drivers Club's luxury automotive destination, marking a significant expansion for ECD into retail and physical experiences for both companies. The 4,800-square-foot space near "Billionaire's Row" will serve as both a shared clubhouse, sales showroom and an immersive design center. This showroom will allow ECD clients to personalize custom builds across ECD's lineup-from Land Rover Defenders and Jaguar E-Types to Mustangs and Toyota FJs. The strategic relationship leverages One Drivers Club's high-traffic location and robust national membership, providing ECD an introduction to a discerning community of car collectors and enthusiasts.

08:21 EST One Stop Systems announces a new order from leading defense contractor in Asia - One Stop Systems announced a new order from a leading defense contractor in Asia. The initial amount of the new purchase order is valued at $200,000, with deliveries expected in the fourth quarter of 2024. OSS expects several additional orders from this customer in 2025 and 2026 of similar or greater amounts. "We believe that our rugged Enterprise Class compute solutions and experience are uniquely positioned to support this application. USVs are operating in harsh environments with high levels of ambient temperature, moisture, and corrosion, while requiring Enterprise Class compute power to operate autonomously, intelligently and safely. We look forward to supporting this program and future programs as this major Asian defense contractor further deploys unmanned solutions for maritime and other applications," stated OSS CEO, Mike Knowles.

08:19 EST MAIA Biotechnology, Regeneron expand clinical supply agreement - MAIA Biotechnology (MAIA) announced that it has amended the 2021 clinical supply agreement with Regeneron (REGN) for the expansion portion of THIO-101, its Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating THIO in sequential administration with cemiplimab. The new expansion will further assess the efficacy of MAIA's lead asset, THIO, sequenced with immune checkpoint inhibitor Libtayo for advanced non-small cell lung cancer, or NSCLC, patients receiving third-line therapy who were resistant to previous checkpoint inhibitor treatments and chemotherapy. The original 2021 agreement between MAIA and Regeneron was designed to supply the original THIO-101 trial through the dose selection and safety evaluation process. The THIO-101 trial has been amended and expanded to further evaluate efficacy at the target dose and target third line patient population. Under terms of the amended clinical supply agreement, MAIA continues to sponsor THIO-101 and Regeneron will provide Libtayo for the treatment of all patients in the trial including the additional patients in the THIO 101 expansion. MAIA holds an exclusive worldwide patent license to develop and commercialize THIO. MAIA expects to start enrolling new patients in the expansion of THIO-101 in the near future. The company continues to evaluate its regulatory strategy and believes that there could be an opportunity for an accelerated approval in the United States based on the ultimate outcome of the ongoing THIO 101 trial.

08:19 EST Palisade Bio announces preliminary results from Phase 1 study of PALI-2108 - Palisade Bio announced preliminary results from its first three single ascending dose, SAD, cohorts in its ongoing Phase 1 human clinical study for PALI-2108 for the treatment of Ulcerative Colitis, UC. The ongoing Phase 1 study is evaluating PALI-2108 in a single-center, double-blind, placebo-controlled study focused on safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics in healthy volunteers, alongside an open-label study involving a patient cohort with UC. Preliminary results appear to indicate that PALI-2108 was safe and well tolerated in the first three cohorts at 15mg, 50mg, and 150mg, with no treatment related dose reductions, no Treatment Related Adverse Events, no Serious Adverse Events, and no treatment related lab abnormalities in any subject. Preliminary PK data from the first cohorts demonstrated delayed release of the PDE4 inhibitor active suggesting PALI-2108 is performing as designed with colonic bioactivation. Based on the findings with this preliminary safety data, the Company is advancing towards its planned crossover study to evaluate the effects of food on PK, followed by multiple ascending dose cohorts, and finally a multiple dose cohort of patients with UC. Comprehensive safety monitoring and similar PK evaluations will be conducted in this cohort.

08:18 EST Relay Therapeutics, Elevar Therapeutics enter licensing agreement - Relay Therapeutics and Elevar Therapeutics announced an exclusive global licensing agreement for lirafugratinib. Lirafugratinib is a selective oral small molecule inhibitor of fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 that is being developed for patients with FGFR2-driven cholangiocarcinoma and other FGFR2-altered solid tumors. The announcement of the partnership follows Relay's recent positive FDA interaction and previously reported differentiated data in cholangiocarcinoma and data across other solid tumors. Lirafugratinib was granted breakthrough therapy designation and orphan drug designation by the FDA. Lirafugratinib is being investigated in the global ReFocus trial in patients with FGFR2-altered tumors. The study includes a pivotal cohort in patients with FGFR2-fusion CCA that was designed to support accelerated approval and is fully enrolled. Interim data from this cohort were presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress in 2022. The study also includes cohorts in patients with other types of solid tumors, including gastric, pancreatic, and head and neck tumors. Interim data from these cohorts were presented at the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics in 2023 and 2024. Earlier in 2024, Relay Therapeutics met with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to discuss data from the ReFocus trial and potential regulatory pathways. The FDA recommended that the company first file an NDA for FGFR2-driven CCA, followed by a supplemental NDA for FGFR2-altered other solid tumors with data from an expanded cohort of patients. Under the terms of the agreement, Elevar will be granted global development and commercialization rights for lirafugratinib. Elevar will assume full responsibility for all further development activities, including submission of the NDAs, all subsequent clinical development, and global commercialization for FGFR2-driven CCA and FGFR2-altered other solid tumors. Relay Therapeutics is eligible to receive up to $75 million in upfront and regulatory milestones, plus up to $425 million in potential commercial milestone payments, as well as tiered royalties up to the low-teens percentage.

08:17 EST Red Robin: JCP, Jumana invest additional $8.3M into the company - Red Robin Gourmet Burgers announced that affiliates of JCP Investment Management and Jumana Capital invested an additional $8.3M into the company, strengthening its balance sheet and demonstrating their long-term commitment to the strategy and brand. Additionally, the company announced the appointment of James Pappas and Christopher Martin to its Board of Directors, pursuant to a cooperation agreement with JCP and Jumana. Upon Pappas' and Martin's respective appointments, the Board will expand to 10 directors, nine of whom will be independent.

08:16 EST Thumzup announces plan to integrate with X Corp. - Thumzup announced its plans to integrate its ad tech platform with Elon Musk's X Corp., a social media giant with over 535M monthly active users.

08:16 EST BioElectronics appoints Sree Koneru to board of directors - BioElectronics announces that Sree Koneru, PhD, will join its Board of Directors, effective December 3, 2024. Upon Dr. Koneru's appointment, the Board will consist of three members, including Kelly Whelan, President of BioElectronics, and its Chairman, Richard Staelin, PhD. Dr. Koneru is Director of Program Management for a contract manufacturing organization that specializes in the design & development of wearable and implantable active electronic medical devices.

08:14 EST BTC Digital sees full deployment of T21 Bitmain miners within 3-6 months - BTC Digital announced that its strategic contract with mining hardware manufacturer Bitmain is progressing and BTCT plans to deploy 2,000 units of Bitmain's T21 miners to its North American mining facilities within the next 3-6 months. Upon completion of this deployment, BTCT's total hash rate capacity will reach 600P, nearly tripling its current capacity.

08:14 EST Arcutis Biotherapeutics announces promotions on executive management team - Arcutis Biotherapeutics announced several promotions to support further growth of Arcutis and the ZORYVE portfolio. Patrick Burnett, MD, PhD, FAAD, chief medical officer, has been promoted to executive vice president, chief medical officer. Dr. Burnett joined Arcutis in August 2020 and has led the advancement of the Arcutis pipeline and scientific evidence generation. L. Todd Edwards, chief commercial officer, has been promoted to executive vice president, chief commercial officer. Kent Taylor has been promoted to senior vice president of sales, having joined Arcutis in late November of 2023 as vice president of sales.

08:13 EST Aemetis subsidiary in India completed delivery of $103M of biodiesel to OMCs - Aemetis announced that the Universal Biofuels subsidiary of Aemetis in India successfully completed delivery of $103M of biodiesel to the three government-owned Oil Marketing Companies, OMCs, under cost-plus supply agreements for the one-year marketing period ending September 30, 2024. Aemetis recently received an initial $58 million of new allocations from OMCs for biodiesel supply in the current marketing year ending September 30, 2025, and has been producing biodiesel for deliveries scheduled to begin this month. The first allocation of biodiesel deliveries for the current year was issued by the OMCs in late November 2024 and the pricing for the deliveries will be based on a cost-plus pricing formula. Multiple tenders were issued by OMCs during the last supply year ending September 30, 2024, and multiple tenders are expected again in the current year.

08:12 EST Humana CFO Susan Diamond to step down, Celeste Mellet to succeed - Humana announced that Celeste Mellet will be appointed to succeed Susan Diamond as CFO, effective January 11, 2025. Diamond is stepping down after an18-year career at Humana, including over three years as CFO, and will serve in an advisory role through the end of 2025 to ensure a smooth transition. Mellet currently serves as CFO of Global Infrastructure Partners.

08:11 EST Whitefort Capital sends letter to Arbutus Biopharma board of directors - Whitefort Capital Management, which is a long-term investor and the third largest shareholder of Arbutus (ABUS) Biopharma with an ownership interest of approximately 6.8% of the Company's outstanding shares, published a letter to the Company's Board of Directors outlining its views on the actions Arbutus must take in order to preserve and maximize shareholder value... "we expressed our view that, provided the data from the Company's IM-PROVE I Phase 2a clinical trial remained confirmatory, the Company would be well positioned to pursue a license and collaboration agreement with a strategic partner and should explore all strategic options for its HBV portfolio at that time. Following the confirmatory results presented by the Company at AASLD - The Liver Meeting on November 18 , which reported that in Cohort A1 of the IM-PROVE I trial, 50% of patients who had baseline HBsAg levels less than 1000 IU/mL and 25% of patients overall achieved functional cure, we believe that time has now come." ...We continue to believe that Arbutus' economic stake in the patent infringement claims against Moderna (MRNA) and Pfizer (PFE) BioNTech (BNTX) potentially represents significant value worth multiples of the Company's current market capitalization. We await the upcoming Pfizer/BioNTech claim construction hearing on December 18, 2024 with great interest. The Company should publicly commit to preserving the value of its LNP patent estate by avoiding any further share dilution. Furthermore, as the Company evaluates internally and engages regulator feedback on the Phase 2b trial design, now is the time to engage with potential strategic partners. Indeed, at the recent Jefferies London Healthcare Conference, Mr. McElhaugh commented that with "functional cure rates to meaningful numbers, which we have now... there are plenty of [pharma] players out there who may become interested in the HBV space."

08:11 EST Aspira Women's completes first development milestone of ARPA-H award - Aspira Women's Health announced the successful completion of the first development milestone of its Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, ARPA-H, award. As a result, Aspira has received a $2M cash payment under the terms of the related agreement. As previously announced, Aspira will receive $10 million in funding over two years through the Sprint for Women's Health launchpad track for later-stage health solutions. The first milestone encompassed the initial launch activities including the development of project execution and risk mitigation plans, and activities related to the expansion of Aspira's subject matter and laboratory capabilities. Deliverables provided to ARPA-H to support the achievement of the milestone included detailed project plans, process and governance models, expansion plans for the research and commercial molecular lab, and product opportunity and technical feasibility reports.

08:10 EST Eos Energy closes on $303.5M loan guaranteed by U.S. DoE - Eos Energy Enterprises announced the closing of a $303.5 million loan guaranteed by the U.S. Department of Energy's Loan Programs Office, marking the first Title 17 battery loan closed under the current administration. The DOE loan is a key step in advancing Project American Made Zinc Energy and is expected to fund the expansion of Eos' manufacturing capacity to 8 GWh by 2027 to meet the growing demand for longer duration battery energy storage systems. According to Fortune Business Insights, the battery energy storage system market in the U.S. is projected to grow significantly, reaching an estimated value of $31.4 billion by 2032, driven by the increasing adoption of renewable energy and the need for enhanced grid stability. To meet this demand, the Company, backed by its September 30, 2024, $589 million order backlog and $14.2 billion commercial pipeline, plans to use the funding to build four fully automated, state-of-the-art manufacturing lines. With one line already in commercial operation and having achieved 10-second battery manufacturing cycle times, these lines are expected to enable the production of Eos' zinc-based batteries designed to offer a reliable, cost-effective, and safe alternative to incumbent technologies and support the transition to a more sustainable energy grid. Project AMAZE is designed to position Eos at the forefront of the clean energy transition, with the Company's goal of achieving 8 GWh of capacity by 2027, driven by increasing customer demand. The final loan guarantee amount of $303.5 million is lower than the amount in the Company's August 2023 conditional commitment driven by Project AMAZE operational costs coming in lower than forecast and the addition of the strategic investment by Cerberus Capital Management announced in June 2024. With the DOE's backing and the Delayed Draw Term Loan from Cerberus, Eos believes it has the foundational capital necessary to drive long-term, profitable growth. Together, these partnerships are driving forward the Company's mission to accelerate the clean energy transition and address critical needs vital to the long-term energy security of the United States.

08:08 EST GE HealthCare announces 510(k) submission for CleaRecon DL to FDA - GE HealthCare announced the 510(k) submission to the FDA for CleaRecon DL, deep learning technology, designed to improve the quality of cone-beam computed tomography, or CBCT, images by bringing artificial intelligence, or AI-based 3D reconstruction to the interventional suite. This technology, which is pending 510(k) clearance, will be demonstrated at the Radiological Society of North America's 2024 Annual Meeting taking place from December 1-4 in Chicago.

08:08 EST Academy Sports opens five new stores - Academy Sports + Outdoors wrapped up 2024 with five new stores in Bradenton, Fla.; Yulee, Fla.; Searcy, Ark.; Meridian, Miss.; and Corsicana, Texas. As part of its commitment and investment in these local communities, Academy donated more than $25,000 in total to local non-profit organizations to help residents and families have more fun. Academy opened 16 new stores in fiscal 2024.

08:07 EST Yum! Brands' Pizza Hut pilots new restaurant design in Plano, Texas - In its ongoing mission to connect people through the joy of pizza, Pizza Hut has introduced its most innovative restaurant design concept to U.S. guests. The new restaurant offers an elevated, modern, more connected experience enabled by digital and technology innovations while continuing to serve the craveable food that has made Pizza Hut a global icon. Located at 8605 Ohio Dr. in Plano, Texas, the restaurant includes self-service kiosks for faster order placement, cabinets for easy, contactless pick-up and a guest-facing pizza making station to showcase the quality and care that goes into every Pizza Hut pizza. In addition, the restaurant will introduce a drive-thru featuring a "Hut 'N Go" menu that offers a select list of "ready-now" items that can be quickly ordered and picked up at the window.

08:07 EST U.S. Steel slides after Trump says 'totally against' Nippon Steel takeover - Shares of U.S. Steel (X) are down $3.05, or over 7%, to $37.90 in pre-market trading after President-elect Donald Trump said on his Truth Social platform that he is "totally against" the company's deal to be acquired by Nippon Steel (NPSCY). In his post, Trump stated: "I am totally against the once great and powerful U.S. Steel being bought by a foreign company, in this case Nippon Steel of Japan. Through a series of Tax Incentives and Tariffs, we will make U.S. Steel Strong and Great Again, and it will happen FAST! As President, I will block this deal from happening. Buyer Beware!!!" Reference Link

08:05 EST Lucid Diagnostics completes convertible debt refinancing - Lucid Diagnostics (LUCD), a subsidiary of PAVmed (PAVM), announced the successful completion of a convertible debt refinancing transaction that strengthens its balance sheet and extends its cash runway past near-term reimbursement milestones. Lucid issued five-year convertible notes to long-term equity shareholders in an aggregate principal amount of $21.95M. A total of $3.61M of the proceeds were used to retire the company's existing convertible debt, yielding $18.34M in incremental cash to the company. "We believe that this debt refinancing, which is a strong vote of confidence in Lucid's technology and commercial potential by long-term Lucid shareholders, enhances shareholder value in two critical ways," said Lishan Aklog, M.D., Chairman and CEO of Lucid. "The net proceeds increase our pro forma cash as of the end of the third quarter to approximately $33 million, providing us with sufficient cash to get us past key reimbursement milestones which we have previously outlined. This new convertible debt is held by long-term investors and has terms which are designed to keep shares out of the market."

08:05 EST Nature's Miracle appoints new CFO and COO - Nature's Miracle announced that Daphne Huang has been appointed CFO and George Yutuc has stepped down from serving as CFO and will now serve as the company's COO. Huang served as CFO at Gorilla Technology from July 2022 to August 2024. From August 2021 to July 2022, she was the CFO of GoFor Industries, an IT platform enabled last mile logistics company operating in Canada and the U.S. Between April 2020 and August 2021, Huang served as CFO and Chief Accounting Officer at Taro Pharmaceutical. Prior to that, she held the role of CFO and Interim COO at Humanwell USA/PuraCap International, a global pharmaceutical company, from June 2016 to April 2020. From 2009 to 2015, she was CFO at Lihua International. Huang was the Senior Auditor in Capital Markets Group at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP from 1997 to 2000. George Yutuc served as the company's CFO until December 1, 2024 and became the company's COO on December 1. From 2021 to 2023 he consulted with major private equity firms. From 2019 to 2021 he was CFO of Karat Packaging. Between 2001 and 2018 he served as CFO or controller in companies including EbrokerCenter, Jet Aerospace, ScribeRight and Casestack.

08:05 EST Soluna Holdings executes MSA with San Francisco Compute - Soluna Holdings (SLNH) announced it has executed a master services agreement, or MSA, with San Francisco Compute, a company building the first real-time compute trading platform for AI. Under the newly signed MSA, Soluna will provide an initial 80 Nvidia (NVDA) H100 GPUs and potentially scale to 120 Nvidia H100 GPUs, from its AI cloud infrastructure to SF Compute, enabling advanced computational capabilities for AI-driven applications. This agreement marks a significant milestone as SF Compute is the first customer to emerge from Soluna's strategic collaboration with Hewlett Packard Enterprise GreenLake, a partnership designed to bring scalable, sustainable AI cloud solutions to the market.

08:04 EST WTW outlines growth, value creation strategy at 2024 Investor Day - WTW will host its 2024 Investor Day and provide an in-depth view of the Company's strategy and plan for growth and value creation. "Over the last three years, WTW has successfully executed on its Grow, Simplify and Transform strategic priorities to revitalize the company," said Carl Hess, WTW's Chief Executive Officer. "We have grown through strategic investments in talent and technology, streamlined our operating model to drive efficiency and agility and transformed our cost structure and infrastructure. WTW has emerged more profitable and faster growing, and today we unveil our plans to further strengthen our business. We will build on our recent momentum to accelerate our performance, enhance efficiency to drive margin improvement and optimize our portfolio through organic and inorganic investment. We are moving forward from a position of strength and will continue to execute, innovate and create value for our shareholders."

08:02 EST Axon: Loomis US deploying Axon body cameras to improve safety - Axon announced that cash distribution leader Loomis US is equipping vehicle armored service technicians with Axon Body 4 cameras as part of their continued effort to improve safety and transparency. The deployment, spanning across the United States, includes more than 2,000 body-worn cameras and licenses to Axon's digital evidence management system, Axon Evidence.

07:57 EST Red Violet board declares special cash dividend of 30c per share - Red Violet's Board of Directors has declared a special cash dividend on red violet common stock of $0.30 per share, payable on or about February 14, 2025, to shareholders of record as of the close of business on January 31, 2025. The aggregate amount of payment to be made in connection with this special dividend will be approximately $4.2 million.

07:49 EST United Community Banks, ANB Holdings enter merger agreement - United Community Banks and ANB Holdings announced the execution of a definitive merger agreement pursuant to which United will acquire ANB, and its wholly-owned subsidiary, American National Bank, in an all-stock transaction with an aggregate value of approximately $80M. ANB Bank is headquartered in Oakland Park, Florida, a northern and fast-growing part of the Miami metropolitan area. Founded in 1985, ANB Bank primarily services Miami Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties. It is a premier franchise with an experienced management team led by President and Chief Executive Officer Ginger Martin. ANB Bank's high-touch customer service is delivered to retail and business customers through one location on North Federal Highway in Oakland Park. As of September 30, 2024, ANB Bank reported total assets of $439M, with total loans of $322M, and total deposits of $374M, of which over $300M are non-CD core deposits. Under the terms of the Merger Agreement, ANB shareholders will receive 1.650 shares of United common stock for each share of ANB common stock outstanding. The Merger is expected to be accretive to United's earnings per share by approximately $0.04 per share in 2026, the first full year of combined operations. Additionally, the estimated transaction returns are consistent with United's stated acquisition criteria pertaining to tangible book value and targeted internal rates of return. The Merger Agreement was unanimously approved by the boards of directors of United and ANB. The Merger is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2025 and is subject to customary conditions, including regulatory approval as well as the approval of ANB's shareholders

07:47 EST NLS Pharmaceutics announces preclinical data on DOXA platform - NLS Pharmaceutics shared preclinical data demonstrating the potential of its dual orexin receptor agonist platform. AEX-41 and AEX-2, two first-in-class non-sulfonamide DOXAs, are designed to target both orexin-1 and orexin-2 receptors while concurrently inhibiting cathepsins. Cathepsins play significant roles in a variety of physiological processes and may offer a novel therapeutic approach for narcolepsy and other neurological disorders. Key Preclinical Results: The ongoing preclinical study, initiated in October 2024 at the Centre for Neuroscience Research of Lyon, one of Europe's premier neuroscience research centers, has produced compelling data: Improved Wakefulness and Sleep Architecture: In orexin knockout mice, AEX-41 demonstrated a significant increase in wakefulness and a reduction in REM sleep duration. These effects are crucial for managing the core symptoms of narcolepsy. Comparable Efficacy to Selective OX2R Agonists: The efficacy of AEX-41 was comparable to sulfonamide-derivative selective OX2R agonists under similar experimental conditions, highlighting its potential as a versatile alternative for broader therapeutic application. Multi-Pathway Potential: By targeting both orexin receptors and Cathepsin H inhibition activity, AEX-41 offers a dual-action mechanism that could address not only sleep-wake regulation but also underlying neurodegenerative processes. Starting in 2025, NLS plans to expand its research to investigate the impact on CTSH in animal models of neuroinflammation, a key factor in the progression of neurodegenerative diseases. An Investigational New Drug application is planned for 2026-2027 to support this new avenue of study.

07:43 EST Pacira awarded new U.S. patent covering EXPAREL composition - Pacira BioSciences announced the receipt of U.S. Patent No. 12,156,940 from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the U.S. PTO. The '940 patent, entitled "Manufacturing of Bupivacaine Multivesicular Liposomes" protects the chemical composition of EXPAREL. This patent is the first patent from a new family of patents related to EXPAREL produced by the company's enhanced large-scale manufacturing process in San Diego, which received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in February 2024. The company expects the '940 patent to provide protection into July 2044.

07:43 EST SL Green Realty completesloan modification at One Madison Avenue - SL Green Realty closed on a modification and extension of the $1.25 billion mortgage facility on One Madison Avenue. The modification extended the final maturity date through November 2027 and maintained the interest rate at 3.10% over Term SOFR, with a further reduction in spread when specific leasing thresholds are exceeded. The facility, which consists of 14 global banks, was led by Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.

07:42 EST ZenaTech's Spider Vision Sensors signs partnership agreement with Suntek - ZenaTech announces that its Taiwan-based Spider Vision Sensors Ltd. subsidiary has signed a partnership agreement with Suntek Global, a Taiwan-based certified electronics manufacturer of vision systems, to collaborate on design and manufacturing of Blue UAS and National Defense Administration Act compliant cameras to be embedded into its ZenaDrone's products for the US Defense branches and NATO. The two companies will collaborate on camera design, features, testing and manufacturing, initially for a 25-megapixel camera to be used in the ZenaDrone IQ Series of indoor/outdoor drones. The first camera for the IQ Nano drone is expected to be ready to ship in a matter of weeks. This will be followed by collaboration on NDAA-compliant AI drone cameras to be incorporated into ZenaDrone 1000 drones designed for defense organizations for surveillance, reconnaissance, logistics and tactical missions.

07:40 EST Arrowhead requests regulatory clearance to initiate ARO-ALK7 trial - Arrowhead announced that it has filed a request for regulatory clearance to initiate a Phase 1/2a clinical trial of ARO-ALK7, the company's second investigational RNA interference, or RNAi, therapeutic being developed as a potential treatment for obesity. ARO-ALK7 is the first RNAi-based therapy to directly target a gene expressed in adipose tissue and highlights Arrowhead's leadership in the delivery of siRNA to multiple tissues and cell types throughout the body utilizing its proprietary and differentiated Targeted RNAi Molecule platform.

07:39 EST Adaptive Biotechnologies announces 65 abstracts to be presented at ASH meeting - Adaptive Biotechnologies announced that its next-generation sequencing-based clonoSEQ test for measurable residual disease assessment will be included in more than 65 abstracts across eight different types of blood cancer at the 66th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology taking place December 7-10, 2024, in San Diego. Among these abstracts are a plenary session presentation, a late-breaking abstract and 25 other oral presentations. "We are inspired to see clonoSEQ MRD testing featured in a record-breaking number of studies at this year's ASH Annual Meeting," said Susan Bobulsky, chief commercial officer, MRD, Adaptive Biotechnologies. "The increasingly widespread use of clonoSEQ as a highly sensitive test to support clinical decision-making and as a primary endpoint in clinical trials highlights its multi-faceted role in advancing precision medicine in hematology." Multiple studies underscore the use of clonoSEQ as the standard for demonstrating efficacy in pivotal clinical trials and highlight advantages of leveraging the highest sensitivity in both clinical trials and real-world practice across various blood cancers. Notably, several practice-changing studies using MRD as a primary endpoint in multiple myeloma, mantle cell lymphoma, and chronic lymphocytic leukemia, as well as studies using MRD interventionally in acute lymphoblastic leukemia, MM, MCL, and CLL, further validate its critical role in assessing deep therapeutic responses and informing treatment decisions.

07:38 EST Psyence Biomedical issues letter to shareholders - Psyence Biomedical issued the following update to shareholders: "I wanted to take this opportunity to recap the significant progress that we have made since our last update, as we continue to progress our active Phase IIb clinical trial of nature-derived psilocybin in Palliative Care patients diagnosed with Adjustment Disorder, while also advancing plans for a clinical trial in our second development indication, Alcohol Use Disorder... In September, we announced initiation of the first site participating in our Phase IIb clinical trial evaluating nature-derived psilocybin... Patient screening has commenced, and we anticipate that the first patients will be randomized and treated soon thereafter. We remain on track for topline data from this trial in the second half of 2025 which, if positive, would be a significant achievement not only for our own development program, but an advancement for psychedelic-based therapeutics generally... Updated PsyLabs Holdings Valuation Implies $2 Million Value of Psyence Biomed's Stake... PsyLabs recently closed an oversubscribed seed round financing, raising $5.7 million, and with an implied post-raise valuation of $10 million... PsyLabs continues to optimize its cultivation and extraction processes to enhance efficiency, yield, and quality... PsyLabs recently announced the successful re-audit of its production facility by the British Standards Institution for ISO 22000 certification... Our partnership with PsyLabs not only makes us vertically integrated with a supply chain, it demonstrates our commitment to advancing the highest quality psilocybin candidate into clinical development... As a result of these strategic transactions, as well as the termination of outstanding senior secured convertible notes issued by PBM to a US based investment firm, we anticipate that Psyence Biomed will enter 2025 with a substantially debt-free balance sheet, offering greater financial flexibility and stability."

07:36 EST Saia reports November LTL shipments per workday up 2.3% - Saia is providing LTL shipment and tonnage data for the first two months of the fourth quarter. In October 2024, LTL shipments per workday increased 4.4%, LTL tonnage per workday increased 6.9% and LTL weight per shipment increased 2.4% to 1,352 pounds compared to 1,321 pounds in October 2023. In November 2024, LTL shipments per workday increased 2.3%, LTL tonnage per workday increased 5.7% and LTL weight per shipment increased 3.3% to 1,357 pounds compared to 1,313 pounds in November 2023.

07:33 EST Applied Materials not changing guided ranges of Q1 business outlook - Applied Materials, Inc. issued the following statement regarding updated export regulations for semiconductor technology, announced by the United States government on Dec. 2, 2024: "Based on our initial assessment of the impact of these new regulations, Applied Materials is not changing the guided ranges of our first quarter of fiscal 2025 business outlook provided in our Nov. 14, 2024 financial results press release."

07:32 EST Constellation Brands agrees to divest SVEDKA brand - Constellation Brands has reached an agreement with global spirits company Sazerac, to divest its SVEDKA brand. This transaction is expected to close in the coming months.The decision builds on the company's strategic efforts to further align the wine and spirits portfolio with evolving consumer preferences and growing market sectors, focusing on higher end wine and spirits brands and products. Over the last few years, Constellation has divested the majority of its popular and mainstream wine and spirits brands within the portfolio and is focused on competing predominantly in premium and fine wine and craft spirits segments. Additional commentary related to this transaction will be provided at the 2024 Morgan Stanley Global Consumer and Retail Conference on Tuesday, December 3, 2024 in New York, NY during a fireside chat with Garth Hankinson, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Constellation Brands. The presentation is scheduled to begin at 2:15 p.m. ET. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including receipt of regulatory approvals.

07:32 EST CME Group reports November ADV of 30.2M contracts - CME Group reported its November market statistics reached the highest November average daily volume of a record 30.2M contracts, up 7% from November 2023. Reference Link

07:27 EST Jeffs' Brands, Deliverz.AI sign binding LOI for U.S. joint venture - Jeffs' Brands has entered into a binding Letter of Intent with Deliverz.AI. The LOI, entered into on November 27, 2024, outlines a plan to establish a joint venture to operate exclusively in the United States, combining the strengths of both companies to introduce AI-powered fully autonomous robotic solutions for healthcare logistics in the United States. Deliverz.AI specializes in autonomous navigation platforms that streamline logistics operations. Their flagship robot, Polly, is already in use at Israel's Sheba Medical Center where it autonomously delivers chemotherapy drugs across complex hospital environments. Pursuant to the LOI, Deliverz.AI will provide the license for its proprietary robotics technology and operational software to the JV in consideration of a 50% equity stake in the JV, while Jeffs' Brands will invest $1 million for a 50% equity stake in the JV. The investment will be paid according to a phased schedule: $100,000 upon the signing of the definitive agreement establishing the JV, $100,000 when the JV secures its first U.S. pilot project, and the remaining $800,000 will be paid in installments until the end of 2025, based on budgets to be agreed upon in the definitive agreement. The JV will aim to partner with U.S. medical centers, deploying robotics solutions to improve logistics efficiency and enhance healthcare delivery. Both companies are committed to finalizing definitive agreements within 30 days, which will include customary closing conditions, compliance with any regulatory approvals and subject to satisfactory due diligence to be completed by each party. In the event that the results of the due diligence are not satisfactory to one of the parties, the LOI will terminate.

07:18 EST Afya sinks 10% to $15.00 after Goldman starts with Sell rating

07:15 EST ParaZero delivers custom drone safety system to automotive manufacturer - ParaZero Technologies announced the delivery of a special drone safety system project for a leading Fortune 500 automotive manufacturer as part of the Customer's proprietary drone program. The project included the design, development and delivery of a custom ParaZero SafeAir system specifically engineered to meet exceptionally demanding flight conditions and specifications unique to the Customer's proprietary aircraft program. This initiative commenced at the design stage, ensuring optimized and seamless integration of the safety system onto the aircraft and addressing its unique flight envelope and operational characteristics. This delivery highlights ParaZero's ability to provide advanced safety solutions for diverse aerial platforms, including multirotor, single rotor, fixed-wing, VTOL, manned and unmanned vehicles, and urban air mobility aircraft.

07:12 EST Lithium Ionic announces new drill results from Banderia Lithium Project - Lithium Ionic announce positive new drill results from its flagship Bandeira Lithium Project, located within the prolific "Lithium Valley", in northern Minas Gerais State, Brazil. These intercepts are part of an ongoing drill program aimed at increasing mineral resource definition and expanding the mineralized footprint. These latest results demonstrate strong potential for continued mineral resource growth, intersecting meaningful extensions of high-grade mineralized pegmatites.

07:11 EST Kinevant says namilumab failed to meet primary endpoint in RESOLVE-Lung study - Kinevant Sciences announced its Phase 2 study failed to show treatment benefit in patients with chronic active pulmonary sarcoidosis. The Phase 2 RESOLVE-Lung study evaluated the efficacy and safety of namilumab, an investigational anti-GM-CSF monoclonal antibody administered once-monthly as a subcutaneous injection, in participants with chronic active pulmonary sarcoidosis. Primary Endpoint Details: Namilumab failed to meet the primary endpoint of proportion of subjects with a Rescue Event during the double-blind period. Secondary Endpoints Details: Secondary efficacy endpoints, including change in percent predicted forced vital capacity, corticosteroid tapering success, and change in the patient reported King's Sarcoidosis Questionnaire failed to show a treatment benefit consistent with the primary endpoint. Safety Details: The safety profile of namilumab in RESOLVE-Lung remains similar to previous studies. With these results, Kinevant will be discontinuing further development of namilumab for the treatment of sarcoidosis. Kinevant is committed to publishing the results of RESOLVE-Lung to inform future sarcoidosis research. "Although RESOLVE-Lung failed to show a treatment benefit for namilumab, the significant amount of information produced by the study will be tremendously helpful to those in the field who are committed to improving the lives of sarcoidosis patients," said Bill Gerhart, CEO of Kinevant. "I would like to thank all the patients who courageously volunteered to participate in the study, as well as the Kinevant team, industry partners, principal investigators, site staff, and patient advocacy groups who all worked together to successfully conduct this important study for sarcoidosis."

07:11 EST Energous awarded scalable multi-phase contract with multinational retailer - Energous Corporation d/b/a Energous Wireless Power Solutions announced it has been awarded the first phase of a multi-stage project by a Fortune 10 multinational retailer. This modernization project is part of a nationwide infrastructure optimization program undertaken by the retailer, which is expected to upgrade approximately 4,700 retail locations over the next three to five years. As part of this initial phase of the project, more than 1,500 Energous 2W PowerBridge transmitter systems are anticipated to begin shipping by the end of this year, representing an order of approximately $0.3M, to provide the backbone of new wireless power networks WPNs that are slated to be installed in the first quarter of 2025. .."We are proud to reach such a critical milestone in the commercial adoption of our 2W PowerBridge transmitter technology," said Mallorie Burak, CEO and CFO of Energous Wireless Power Solutions. "We've partnered closely with this customer since the start of our initial Proof of Concept phase in 2023, where our innovative WPN solutions not only met but exceeded the stringent performance metrics required to proceed-delivering up to 99 percent visibility of all tracked assets and inventory, from the warehouse to the store.

07:10 EST Enbridge increasing quarterly common share dividend 3% to 94.25c per share - Enbridge will increase its quarterly common share dividend for 2025 by 3.0% to 94.25c per common share from 91.5c, commencing with the dividend payable on March 1, 2025, to shareholders of record on February 15, 2025.

07:09 EST Domino's Pizza, Netflix partner to bring Emergency Pizza to Squid Game - Domino's Pizza (DPZ) is joining forces with Netflix (NFLX) to prove that an Emergency Pizza can save the day - even in the high-stakes realm of Squid Game. As the hit Netflix series approaches its season two debut on Dec. 26, Domino's is activating at Squid Game: The Experience to give away free Emergency Pizza for a year to players with the lowest scores - just in time for when they need it most. On Dec. 12, the player with the lowest score from each competing group in Squid Game: The Experience at Manhattan Mall in New York City will win free Domino's Emergency Pizza for a year. Squid Game: The Experience is a fully immersive experience based on Netflix's Squid Game series. Players can compete in five challenges inspired by the show. A member of the Pink Guard will present the losing player out of each group with free Emergency Pizza for a year, awarded in the form of $500 in gift cards within a custom Domino's and Squid Game Dalgona tin. This is the second time Domino's has partnered with Netflix. In 2022, Domino's teamed up with the most popular streaming service in the world to launch a first-of-its-kind mind ordering app, prior to the season four premiere of Stranger Things.

07:08 EST Terns Pharmaceuticals announces early data from Phase 1 CARDINAL trial - Terns Pharmaceuticals announced encouraging early data from the ongoing dose escalation part of the Phase 1 CARDINAL study evaluating TERN-701 in patients with relapsed/refractory chronic myeloid leukemia, CML. TERN-701 is an investigational, oral, potent, small molecule allosteric BCR-ABL inhibitor being developed for patients with CML. CARDINAL is a global, multicenter, open-label, two-part Phase 1 clinical trial to evaluate the safety, pharmacokinetics, and efficacy of TERN-701 in patients with relapsed/refractory CML with or without BCR-ABL resistance mutations. Key efficacy highlights include: 88% of patients with baseline transcript greater than 1% had decreases in BCR-ABL on treatment, with 7 ongoing as of data cutoff; Cumulative MMR rate of 50% in non-T315i mutation patients with 3 or more months of treatment and/or MMR or better at baseline; 100% of patients with MMR or better at baseline have maintained their response and remain on treatment. Additional notable responses include: MR2 within 5 months in a 4L patient at 160mg QD with baseline transcript greater than 1% and suboptimal response and intolerance to asciminib; MR4 within 3 months in a 5L patient treated at 320mg with baseline transcript greater than10% and treatment failure on bosutinib at study entry

07:07 EST Akebia: U.S. Renal Care enrolls first patient in its VOICE collaborative trial - Akebia Therapeutics announced that in late November U.S. Renal Care enrolled the first patient in its Vafseo Outcomes In-Center Experience collaborative trial. Akebia announced the collaborative trial initiation in September 2024. The VOICE trial intends to enroll approximately 2,200 patients who will be randomized to oral Vafseo 300 mg tablets administered three times per week or standard-of-care erythropoiesis-stimulating agents. The trial will end approximately 18 months after the last patient is randomized. The primary endpoint is non-inferiority for all-cause mortality and the secondary endpoint will test superiority of Vafseo to reduce all-cause hospitalization.

07:06 EST Coherus Biosciences agrees to divest UDENYCA franchise for up to $558M - Coherus BioSciences has entered into an asset purchase agreement dated December 2, 2024, with Intas Pharmaceuticals for the divestiture of the UDENYCA franchise for up to $558.4 million. This includes an upfront payment of $483.4 million, to be adjusted for inventory at close, and $75.0 million in potential net sales milestone payments. Coherus plans to use a portion of the transaction proceeds to fully repay the entirety of the Company's $230.0 million in existing convertible notes due April 2026 and $49.1 million to buy-out certain royalty obligations related to UDENYCA. Under the terms of the Agreement filed as an exhibit to Coherus' Current Report on Form 8-K today, Coherus will receive an upfront cash payment of $483.4 million, subject to closing adjustments for final inventory valuation, plus two net sales milestone payments totaling $75.0 million. In exchange, Intas will receive identified assets related to the UDENYCA franchise, including the UDENYCA pre-filled syringe, the UDENYCA autoinjector, and UDENYCA ONBODY and will assume identified liabilities. Accord BioPharma, Inc., the U.S. specialty division of Intas Pharmaceuticals, Ltd., focused on the development of oncology, immunology, and critical care therapies, plans to assume full responsibility for the UDENYCA franchise in the U.S. following the Agreement closing. The Coherus Board of Directors unanimously recommends that Coherus shareholders vote in favor of the proposed UDENYCA divestiture described by the Agreement. A Coherus proxy statement relating to the proposed transaction will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and mailed to Coherus shareholders when available. The closing of the proposed transactions contemplated by the Agreement is subject to customary closing conditions, including approval by Coherus shareholders, expiration or termination of the applicable waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, any required approval by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States as well as certain other conditions. The proposed transaction is expected to close by the end of Q1 2025. Importantly, upon close of the proposed transaction, the Company expects to use tax attributes, which were previously not deemed realizable, to offset substantially all of the U.S. federal income taxes related to the divestiture. Following close of the proposed transaction, Coherus plans to initiate a process to fully repay the Company's outstanding $230.0 million in aggregate principal amount of 1.5% Convertible Senior Subordinated Notes due 2026. At closing Coherus will pay $49.1 million to buy out the right to receive royalties on net sales of UDENYCA in accordance with the Revenue Participation Right and Sale Agreement with Coduet Royalty Holdings, LLC that commenced May 8, 2024. The Company expects to realize substantial cost savings on a going forward basis by: Paying off certain financial liabilities resulting in expected annual financing cash savings exceeding $10.0 million, with the remaining $38.7 million in secured debt costing approximately $5 million to service annually; Transferring certain full-time employees to Intas to support UDENYCA; and Eliminating UDENYCA-related overhead and commercial expenses. The Company plans to provide an updated Q4 2024 sales projection and Q1 2025 cash projection in early January 2025. However, current post-close cash runway projections exceed two years, past key data readouts expected in 2026.

07:06 EST Independence Contract Drilling commences Chapter 11 process - Independence Contract Drilling announced that it has entered into a plan of reorganization unanimously supported by all of the holders of the company's Senior Secured PIK Toggle Notes Due 2026. The company said the plan is expected to substantially reduce ICD's debt and provide increased financial flexibility, accelerate investments in the company's super-spec rig fleet, and position the company for long-term success. Under the terms of the plan, almost all of the Senior Secured Convertible Notes, including accrued interest, will be equitized, and all other secured and unsecured creditors will be paid in the ordinary course without impairment. On December 2, ICD commenced a prepackaged Chapter 11 process to implement the plan in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division. The plan includes the following: a debtor-in-possession financing facility provided by the Noteholders consisting of up to $32.5M to support the company's ongoing operations and obligations and repay outstanding revolving credit obligations, vendors and employees; the noteholders' commitment to provide exit financing of $40M to refinance outstanding DIP financing obligations and $7.5M of noteholder claims, and support ICD's future operations and investments in its super-spec rig fleet; the exchange of all remaining Noteholder claims for equity securities of the reorganized company, which will not be listed for public trading and the cancellation of the company's common stock. In connection with the implementation of the plan, the company filed other various "first day" motions with the court, requesting customary relief that, once approved by the court, will further facilitate the company operating its businesses during the streamlined case and facilitate the payment of all vendors and employees in the ordinary course of business, including undisputed claims on both a pre-petition and post-petition basis.

07:04 EST Elicio Therapeutics announces completion of Phase 2 AMPLIFY-7P study enrollment - Elicio Therapeutics announced the completion of enrollment in the Phase 2 AMPLIFY-7P study. The randomized Phase 2 study is evaluating a 7-peptide formulation of ELI-002 in patients with mutant KRAS-driven pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, PDAC, who are at high risk of relapse following surgery. Elicio previously reported AMPLIFY-7P Phase 1a study results demonstrating a favorable safety profile, robust T-cell responses, antigen spreading and encouraging preliminary DFS data in PDAC patients.

07:03 EST KVH Industries introduces its TracNet Coastal, TracNet Coastal Pro terminals - KVH Industries introduced its TracNet Coastal and TracNet Coastal Pro terminals, expanding its extensive multi-channel portfolio of maritime products and services with a cellular/Wi-Fi system. TracNet Coastal, which utilizes exclusive KVH Fusion eSIM technology, is a high-performance, single-cable, marine-grade cellular/Wi-Fi solution offering connectivity in 135 countries. In addition to serving as a standalone hybrid communication system, TracNet Coastal is ideal for a hybrid enhancement when coupled with VSAT and low earth orbit, LEO, services.

07:02 EST Predictive Oncology engaged in 'productive discussions' with multiple parties - Predictive Oncology announced progress in its ongoing evaluation of strategic alternatives, which was announced on November 13, 2024. As part of this process, the Company is considering a wide range of options with a focus on maximizing shareholder value, including a potential sale of the Company, a sale of one or more assets of the Company, a merger, licensing agreement, or other strategic investment. Since the formal process began, the Company has held, and continues to hold, confidential level discussions with a number of prospective partners, and comprehensive due diligence remains ongoing with several parties. "We believe the value of our unique portfolio of assets, including our vast biobank of more than 150,000 tumor samples, 200,000 pathology slides, and decades of longitudinal drug response data, are not adequately reflected in our current market valuation," stated Raymond Vennare, CEO. "As a result, we have engaged a strategic advisor to help identify a wide range of strategic alternatives with the goal of maximizing value for our shareholders. While we cannot guarantee that a transaction will occur, it is worth noting that we are currently engaged in productive discussions with multiple interested parties and look forward to the timely completion of this process."

07:01 EST Palantir granted FedRAMP High Baseline Authorization - Palantir has been granted FedRAMP High Authorization for Palantir Federal Cloud Service - PFCS - and Palantir Federal Cloud Service - Supporting Services. These authorizations cover the entirety of Palantir's product offerings and programs and therefore enable Palantir to provide any of its product offerings to the U.S. Government at the FedRAMP High baseline. FedRAMP is a government-wide program that promotes the adoption of secure cloud services across the federal government by providing a standardized approach to security and risk assessment for cloud technologies and federal agencies. This High authorization builds on Palantir's previous FedRAMP Moderate and DoD IL5 and IL6 authorizations, and enables the U.S. government to process the most sensitive unclassified workloads in Palantir's cloud offering. Palantir Federal Cloud Service is a cloud-hosted offering developed for the purpose of delivering Palantir software to federal government customers as a cloud service.

06:54 EST AT&T announces long-term targets at investor day - Ahead of its 2024 Analyst & Investor Day presentation, AT&T unveiled a multi-year strategic plan highlighted by continued profitable 5G and fiber subscriber growth. The company said this growth is expected to fuel enhanced shareholder returns on network investments through a robust and balanced capital allocation program. AT&T expects to achieve the following 2025 and long-term financial targets through 2027. Beginning in the first quarter of 2025, and as a result of the pending disposition of its DirecTV equity method investment, the company plans to report adjusted EPS and free cash flow excluding earnings and cash flows related to DirecTV. The company continues to expect the sale of its entire 70% stake in DirecTV to TPG to close in mid-2025. Consolidated service revenue growth in the low-single-digit range annually from 2025-2027. Mobility service revenue growth in the 2% to 3% range annually. Consumer fiber broadband revenue growth in the mid-teens annually. Adjusted EBITDA growth of 3% or better annually from 2025-2027. Mobility EBITDA growth in the 3% to 4% range annually. Consumer Wireline EBITDA grows at a double-digit compounded annual growth rate through 2027. Business Wireline EBITDA declines at a low-double-digit CAGR through 2027; Business Solutions EBITDA approaching stabilization by the end of 2027. Capital investment in the $22B range annually from 2025-2027. Free cash flow, excluding DirecTV, of $16B+ in 2025, with annual growth of approximately $1B, resulting in free cash flow of $18B+ in 2027. In addition, AT&T expects to receive $5.4B of after-tax cash payments in 2025 and $0.5B in 2029 related to the sale of the DirecTV investment. Adjusted EPS, excluding DirecTV, of $1.97 to $2.07 in 2025, accelerating to double-digit percentage growth in 2027. $3V+ in run-rate cost savings by the end of 2027, inclusive of the company's target of achieving $2 billion+ in run-rate cost savings by mid-2026. The company said, "With the plans announced today, the Company will unlock new capabilities that further its momentum while investing in future growth - ultimately enabling more robust shareholder returns. As a result of continued investment, the Company expects to be in a differentiated position within the connectivity industry by the end of the decade. In Mobility, the Company is building a more efficient, high-capacity, programmable and open network. By 2027, it expects to have largely completed the modernization of its 5G wireless network with open technology, with deep mid-band 5G spectrum covering 300 million+ people by the end of 2026. This network will support super-fast download speeds and serve as a platform for new product and GenAI innovation. In broadband, the Company is creating even more distance between itself and the competition on what is already the largest fiber broadband network in America. By the end of 2029, it expects to reach 50 million+ total locations with fiber. This includes expectations to pass about 45 million locations through its organic fiber deployment and serve 5 million+ fiber locations through Gigapower, its joint venture with Blackrock, as well as through agreements with commercial open-access providers. The Company's fiber expansion will greatly increase its opportunity to serve customers how they want to be served, by one provider in a converged manner. While building the network of the future, the Company is actively working to exit its legacy copper network operations across the large majority of its wireline footprint by the end of 2029. The Company believes sustaining industry-leading levels of network investment and pursuing these strategic objectives will ultimately allow it to offer the best value, greater personalization and security and more customer-centric products and services on the largest, highest-capacity, lowest-marginal cost network in America."

06:49 EST Merck: FDA grants Breakthrough Therapy designation to sacituzumab tirumotecan - Merck announced that the U.S. FDA has granted Breakthrough Therapy designation to sacituzumab tirumotecan for the treatment of patients with advanced or metastatic nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer with epidermal growth factor receptor mutations whose disease progressed on or after tyrosine kinase inhibitor and platinum-based chemotherapy. Sac-TMT is an investigational trophoblast cell-surface antigen 2-directed antibody drug conjugate being developed in collaboration with Kelun-Biotech. This designation is based on data from the Phase 2 expansion cohort of a Phase 1/2 study evaluating sac-TMT in patients with EGFR-mutated NSCLC, which were presented at the 2023 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting, as well as data from two parts of a Phase 2 study evaluating sac-TMT in patients with EGFR-mutated NSCLC who have been treated with at least two lines of prior therapy.

06:34 EST Aflac sees U.S. net earned premiums CAGR 3%-6% 2025-2027 - Sees Aflac U.S. net earned premiums CAGR 3%-6% 2025-2027. For U.S., sees 2025-2027 benefit ratio 28%-52%, expense ratio 36%-39%, pretax profit margin 17%-20%. Sees Aflac Japan underlying net earned premiums for 2025-2027 (1%)-(2%) CAGR, with benefit ratio 64%-66%, expense ratio 20%-23%, pretax profit margin 30%-33%. On capital return, says the expected run-rate annualized insurance subsidiary dividends for 2025-2027 is $2.4B-$3B. Comments taken from Aflac's 2024 Financial Analysts Briefing.

06:21 EST Wipro partners with Netskope for cybersecurity services - Wipro announced a partnership with Netskope, a Secure Access Service Edge provider, to provide global enterprises with an integrated service that optimizes and improves cybersecurity outcomes for people, processes, and technology investments. Wipro's CyberTransform Optimization Service, powered by Netskope, analyzes organizations' current cybersecurity and infrastructure investments, provides consolidation guidelines, and delivers cost-optimized methods resulting in improved business performance. Wipro's CyberTransform Optimization Service, powered by Netskope, leverages Wipro's proprietary Automated Regulatory Compliance, a content service that monitors industry-specific national and international regulatory amendments, and Netskope's Valueskope platform, a SaaS-based offering providing detailed financial analyses and tailored business cases.

06:09 EST Cartesian Therapeutics reports positive updated Phase 2b results in myasthenia - Cartesian Therapeutics announced updated efficacy and safety data from the Phase 2b trial of Descartes-08 in participants with generalized myasthenia gravis - MG - and provided details on the design of its planned Phase 3 AURORA trial. The updated data will be presented at the 2nd Annual Cell Therapy for Autoimmune Disease Summit being held in Philadelphia. Descartes-08 was previously granted Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy Designation and Orphan Drug Designation by the FDA for the treatment of MG. The Phase 3 AURORA trial is designed to assess Descartes-08 versus placebo administered as six weekly outpatient infusions without preconditioning chemotherapy in approximately 100 participants with acetylcholine receptor autoantibody positive MG. Cartesian expects to commence the trial in the first half of 2025. The Phase 2b trial met its primary endpoint and demonstrated a safety profile supporting outpatient administration of Descartes-08. Descartes-08 continues to be observed as well-tolerated, supporting outpatient administration without the need for lymphodepleting chemotherapy. There were no cases of cytokine release syndrome, and no cases of immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome. The Phase 3 AURORA trial on track to commence in 1H2025. Descartes-08-treated participants were observed to have a 5.5-point reduction in MG-ADL at Month 4. Durable responses were observed through Month 12 in Phase 2b trial.

06:07 EST Rhythm Pharmaceuticals: MHRA expands marketing authorization for Imcivree - Rhythm Pharmaceuticals announced that the United Kingdom's Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has expanded the marketing authorization for Imcivree to include the treatment of obesity and control of hunger associated with genetically confirmed Bardet-Biedl syndrome or genetically confirmed loss-of-function biallelic pro-opiomelanocortin, including proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 1, deficiency or biallelic leptin receptor deficiency in adult and pediatric patients as young as 2 years old and older.

06:03 EST BlackRock to acquire HPS Investment Partners for about $12B - BlackRock and HPS Investment Partners, a global credit investment manager with approximately $148B in client assets, have entered into a definitive agreement for BlackRock to acquire HPS for approximately $12B, with 100% of consideration paid in BlackRock equity. The equity is issued by a wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, and exchangeable on a one-for-one basis into BlackRock common stock. Under the terms of the transaction, BlackRock will acquire 100% of the business and assets of HPS for total consideration of 12.1 million SubCo Units. SubCo Units are exchangeable on a one-for-one basis into BlackRock common stock at the election of the holder, and will have equivalent dividend rights to BlackRock common stock. A portion of the transaction consideration will be paid at closing, and a portion will be deferred approximately five years. Approximately 9.2 million SubCo Units will be paid at closing. Approximately 25% of the consideration, or 2.9 million SubCo Units, will be paid in approximately five years, subject to achievement of certain post-closing conditions. There is also potential for additional consideration to be earned of up to 1.6 million SubCo Units that is based on financial performance milestones measured and paid in approximately five years. Of the total deal consideration, up to $675 million in value will be used to fund an equity retention pool for HPS employees. In aggregate, inclusive of all SubCo Units paid at closing, eligible to be paid in approximately five years, and potentially earned through achievement of financial performance milestones, the maximum amount of BlackRock common stock issuable upon exchange for SubCo Units would be approximately 13.7 million shares. As part of closing the transaction, BlackRock expects to retire for cash, or refinance, approximately $400 million of existing HPS debt. The transaction is not expected to meaningfully change BlackRock's leverage profile. BlackRock is committed to being a good steward of shareholders' capital. Its capital management strategy is to first invest for growth, and then return excess capital to shareholders through a combination of dividends and a consistent share repurchase program. Over the last ten years BlackRock has repurchased 29 million shares, at an average repurchase price of $498 per share, which represents a 15% annualized return for shareholders. The deal is expected to increase private markets fee-paying AUM and management fees by 40% and approximately 35%, respectively, and be modestly accretive to BlackRock's as-adjusted earnings per share in the first full year post-close. The transaction is expected to close in mid-2025 subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions. .

06:00 EST BlackRock to acquire HPS Investment Partners for about $12B

05:56 EST Sky Quarry partners with Zacks to release new research report - Sky Quarry has partnered with Zacks Small-Cap Research to release a new research report titled Developing a New Approach to Recycling Waste Asphalt Shingles. This partnership with Zacks marks a step in expanding awareness of Sky Quarry's business and advancing its mission.

05:33 EST Haemonetics to sell whole blood assets to GVS for $44.6M upfront - Haemonetics announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its whole blood assets to GVS, a manufacturer of filter solutions for applications in the healthcare and life sciences sectors. The transaction comprises a total cash consideration of up to $67.1M, which includes $44.6M upfront and up to $22.5M in contingent earn-outs over the next four years. The company intends to use the proceeds from this transaction for general corporate purposes and additional investments in growth initiatives. Under the terms of the agreement, GVS will acquire Haemonetics' complete portfolio of proprietary whole blood collection, processing and filtration solutions, along with Haemonetics' manufacturing facility in Covina, California where certain of these products are produced, and related equipment and assets located at Haemonetics' manufacturing facility in Tijuana, Mexico. This transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of calendar 2025, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. Haemonetics' Blood Center business will continue to manufacture and provide customers with its full line of apheresis solutions for automated blood collection. These include devices and disposable kits that support a variety of apheresis collections, including platelets, plasma and red cells, and ensure efficient blood center operations. The transaction follows Haemonetics' agreement in 2020 to sell its Fajardo, Puerto Rico manufacturing operations to GVS and enter a long-term supply and development agreement granting GVS exclusive rights to manufacture and supply the proprietary blood filters produced at the Fajardo facility for Haemonetics.

05:26 EST Amazon Web Services, SAP announce GROW with SAP - Amazon Web Services, or AWS, an Amazon.com (AMZN) company, and SAP SE (SAP) announced GROW with SAP on AWS, which will allow customers of all sizes to rapidly deploy SAP's enterprise resource planning solution while leveraging adopted cloud.

05:14 EST MultiMetaVerse establishes joint venture with Zhao Mingwei, Li Yuanfeng - MultiMetaVerse announced that it has reached an agreement with Zhao Mingwei and Li Yuanfeng to jointly establish a joint venture in Hong Kong, leveraging their respective resources to Bitcoin and Bitcoin mining machines. According to the agreement, MultiMetaVerse will hold 80% of the shares of the to-be-formed joint venture company, Zhao Mingwei will hold 10% of the shares, and Li Yuanfeng will hold the remaining 10%. The board of directors will be composed of executives appointed by the three parties. The new company will purchase Bitcoin and purchase Bitcoin mining machines. The joint venture company plans to achieve Party B and Party C to invest 500 Bitcoins legally owned by them by June 2025 and 1,000 bitcoins before December 2025 to make the joint venture company legally own the assets. MMV will issue Party B and Party C 1M shares each, subject to the condition that the closing share price of MMV on Nasdaq exceeds $1.00 within two months after the announcement of the signing of this agreement, and either the closing price is not less than $1.00 for more than 10 consecutive trading days on Nasdaq during those two months, or the number of Bitcoin invested by the joint venture company is not less than 50. Otherwise, MMV will cancel the shares issued to Party B and Party C. Zhao Mingwe is a financial blogger in China. He is the founder of Xiongke Group and the author of "IP Wealth Creation Field". Li Yuanfeng, is an angel investor in China.

05:04 EST Cadiz announces feature on public television show - Empowered with Meg Ryan, a public television program will feature a segment highlighting women leaders in sustainable water solutions. Cadiz will be a key focus of the program, according to the company.